Ambassador Nancy Powell, former U.S Ambassador to India
Ambassador Nancy Powell was U.S ambassador to India from April, 2012 to May, 2014. During her distinguished career, she was also U.S. ambassador Pakistan, Nepal, Uganda, Ghana and Director General of the U.S. Foreign Service. She retired at the rank of Career Ambassador, the Foreign Service's highest rank. She is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
In 2021, India became the world's most populated country with approximately 1.37 billion people surpassing China. It is the third most populous Muslim country in the world, after Indonesia and just behind Pakistan. It is diverse and complicated with a long colonial past which has shaped its development, its leadership's thinking, its own self image. After some 300 years of colonial and at times violent rule, the United Kingdom abruptly granted India its independence in August 1947 as the British Empire crumbled following World War II. With Great Britain's departure, the subcontinent underwent a violent and tumultuous division between secular (but mostly Hindu) India led by Jawarhalal Nehru and Muslim Pakistan led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The “Partition” saw as many as a million people killed and 15 million displaced. From this violent beginning, India emerged today deeply proud of its reputation as the world's largest democracy (with the U.S. being the oldest).
The United States relationship with India has been shaped by this background but the relationship, too, has evolved significantly. With the U.S. focused on containing Soviet cold war expansionism in the 1950s and 60s, India struggled to find its own political and economic footing in its new post-colonial existence. Frustrating Washington at times, India emerged as a leader of the G-77 seeking to chart a middle path for developing countries in a bipolar world. Meanwhile, the U.S. provided India's struggling, inwardly focused economy with considerable development assistance, including massive P.L. 480 food support. But India remained stubbornly wary of an American embrace. Eventually, as India's confidence grew, in the mid 1990s, it began to open its economy to the outside world. The United States and American investment were poised to help take the relationship to a new level.
But the time frame from the 1970s until today have often been referred to as a period of great expectations but disappointing results. While both sides cite shared common values underpinning their democracies, Russia remains India's largest arms supplier and India has pointedly refused to follow America's lead on Ukraine. India has long bridled at U.S. relations with long time antagonist Pakistan. Yet both countries have worked closely on anti-terrorism cooperation and United States has emerged as India's largest trading and investment partner. From a strategic perspective, both countries eye China with suspicion and conduct yearly high level bilateral strategic talks. In recent years, regular quadrilateral talks “the Quad” ( the U.S., India, Japan and Australia) now share views and concerns on a regional threats and challenges. Indian prime ministers and U.S. presidents meet nearly yearly in either New Delhi and/or Washington, while top level diplomats and defense officials confer even more often. In recent years, India's diaspora of 2.7 million plays an increasing economic and political role in the United States, as well.
India faces its next national election in May 2024. Prime Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi, in charge for the last decade, is expected to win handily. He has consolidated his power in a fashion not seen since the time of Nehru or Indira Gandhi with his strong embrace of Hindutva, or Hindu dominance. Many fear he's undermining India's political and cultural pluralism – a new direction for secular, diverse India. Where will this lead? Will this affect U.S. strategic and economic interests? How should the United States engage? Can the relationship maintain its resilience?
Ambassador Powell received her Bachelors Degree from Northern Iowa University in History and Teaching.