Delhi opts to wait, watch U.S. foreign policy shift

U.S. President Joseph Biden’s 20-minute speech at the State Department last week contained many themes for the new administration’s foreign policy agenda, including a return to traditional alliances, a push back to what he called “advancing authoritarianism” and a harsh spotlight on Russia and China on the issues of human rights violations and other challenges they pose the United States. But he left some of those in New Delhi watching the speech closely, guessing about the future of U.S.-India ties and Washington’s engagement with the region.
“It is noteworthy that Mr. Biden did not refer to India, Indo-Pacific, South China Sea or the Quad in his speech to American diplomats,” said former Ambassador Vishnu Prakash, also making the point that the U.S. President had dealt with China while giving primacy to “economic, IPR and human right aspects, instead of the security concerns resulting from the aggressive Chinese posture.”