Disaster Management

. India’s relationship with the United States took a leap since the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2005, but this relationship is not subject to significant effect due to the growing ties with the ASEAN or by being part of the IBSA or the BRIC countries. India’s relationship with the US is based on cooperation in several sectors, although the focus has been on the cooperation in the security sector. Its ties with the US are manifold - trade, cultural cooperation, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and the defense sectors; in addition to informal ties through the education sector. This bilateral relationship has been on the rise, with the US now occupying the position of the largest trade partner with India, with India exporting up to $24 billion worth of goods and services, while importing up to $15 billion worth of goods and services in 2007. Within this trade portfolio India’s exports to the US and imports from the US is diversified in such a manner that any significant growth of ties with the ASEAN or IBSA or BRIC will not leave an impact on Indo-US ties.
On the other hand, India’s relationship with the ASEAN or IBSA or BRIC is of an informal nature, with IBSA being just “a coordinating mechanism between three emerging countries, three multiethnic and multicultural democracies”; and its relationship with the ASEAN only now taking some form through free-trade agreements. As for BRIC, it is just an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are becoming significant due to their increasing size in the international arena, and not even an informal mechanism.
Even if we put aside the fact that India and the US have a strong relationship in the trade and exchange sector, India’s efforts to expand its relationship with other countries is not a zero-sum game, but an effort to strengthen its ties with new countries and markets. Lastly, India cannot ignore the role of the US in the international institutions like the UN, the WTO and other bodies, where the US... [continues]

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