Akhilesh Pillalamarri
Shashi Tharoor, a prominent Indian member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, belonging to the opposition Indian National Congress, recently penned an article asking why Indian Americans do not do more to influence United States lawmakers and government officials on matters concerning India. Tharoor noted that the American government, under President Donald Trump, has recently “mounted a series of policy assaults on India,” such as tariffs of 50 percent on goods from India and a $100,000 payment for any new H-1B visa petitions.
Why have India-U.S. relations suddenly nosedived, and what, if anything, can Indian Americans do about this? While the proximate cause seems to be the divergent views India and the U.S. had on Trump’s role in mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May 2025, there are two larger factors to consider.
The first of these is the evolving American perception of geopolitical and strategic considerations in Asia under the Trump administration. The second is American attitudes toward Indian Americans and Indian culture in general.
Any successful bilateral relationship between two countries will generally be built on the basis of at least there being cordial people-to-people ties or geopolitical alignment on the world stage. A particularly warm relationship, such as that between the United States and the United Kingdom, lies at the convergence of both friendly people-to-people ties and common geopolitical goals. Until quite recently, it looked like the Indo-American relationship also had both elements going for it. In an ideal world, the U.S. and India would have excellent relations, shaped by similar geopolitical interests and democratic political systems. The Indian American community would serve as a bridge between the two countries, facilitating cultural exchanges, trade, diplomacy, and military ties.
But it would be hard for anyone — whether of Indian origin or not — to sell a pro-India policy to an administration, such as the Trump administration, that looks at the world in transactional terms. If every country is a player to engage in deals with, a rival to punish, or a friend to reward based on the issue at hand, then India is not particularly special in the eyes of the United States. In this view, China is no longer a systemic geopolitical and ideological nemesis but just another competitor. There is no use in favoring India to balance against China. On top of this, Pakistan is no worse a choice to transact with than India, and may even be less “difficult” to deal with, if the establishment there rolls out the red carpet for the Trump administration.
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