Assessing the Outcomes of Modi’s State Visit to Washington

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official state visit to the U.S. served as a resounding testament to Washington's recognition of India's significant role within the global strategic landscape. The visit not only showcased the rapidly strengthening bond between the U.S. and India but also led to the forging of numerous significant technology and defense agreements. These groundbreaking initiatives have set the stage for a new chapter in U.S.-India relations.

Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for an exciting discussion as we analyze the aftermath of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Washington. Within weeks of this momentous event, our panelists will assess the key developments, initiatives, and collaborations that have emerged, shedding light on their implications for the U.S., India, and beyond. Together, we will delve into the prospects and challenges that lie ahead, unraveling the potential of this bilateral partnership. The virtual discussion, moderated by Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives, Asia Society Policy Institute, will feature: C. Raja Mohan, Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute in Delhi, Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program; Director of The India Project, Brookings Institution, and Mukesh Aghi, President & Chief Executive Officer, U.S.- India Strategic Partnership Forum.

SPEAKERS

Tanvi Madan is a senior fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program, and director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Madan’s work explores India’s role in the world and its foreign policy, focusing in particular on India’s relations with China and the United States. She also researches the U.S. and India’s approaches in the Indo-Pacific, as well as the development of interest-based coalitions, especially the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quad. Madan is the author of the book “Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations during the Cold War” (Brookings Institution Press, 2020). Her ongoing work includes a book project on the recent past, present, and future of the China-India-US triangle, and a monograph on India’s foreign policy diversification strategy. Madan is a member of the editorial board of Asia Policy and a contributing editor at War on the Rocks. Previously, she was a Harrington doctoral fellow and teaching assistant at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. In the past, Madan has also been a research analyst at Brookings, and worked in the information technology industry in India. In addition to a doctorate in public policy from the University of Texas at Austin, she has a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree with honors in history from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, India.

C. Raja Mohan is a Senior Fellow with the Asia Society Policy Institute in Delhi — a division of the Asia Society India Centre, Mumbai. He is a Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore, and was previously the Director of ISAS. Mohan was the founding director of Carnegie India in Delhi, the sixth international center of Carnegie Endowment for Peace. He was associated with several Indian think tanks, including the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses, the Observer Research Foundation, and the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.  Mohan was a Professor of South Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. He served on India’s National Security Advisory Board.  He was the Henry A. Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Kluge Center, US Library of Congress, Washington DC, during 2009-10. He convened the India chapter of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, during 1995-2005. Mohan has published widely on India’s foreign and security policies, Asian geopolitics, and the global governance of advanced technologies. In his most recent, Mohan co-authored the Adelphi Book, The New Asian Geopolitics: Military Power and Regional Order published by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, London in 2021. He is a columnist for Foreign Policy and the Indian Express.

Mukesh Aghi is the President and Chief Executive Officer of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). USISPF is the largest, independent not for profit entity based out of Washington DC. It focuses on building strong partnership between the US and India, focusing on geo-political, trade, technology transfer, innovation, investment and legislative issues. Mukesh Aghi has extensive experience working with business and government leaders in the U.S. and India to promote trade and strengthen ties between the two countries. Last four years USISPF has been instrumental in investing over $50 billion in India. Currently Mukesh Aghi is a board member and former Chair of the Compensation Committee at DXC Technology (NYSE) a $15 billion IT Services company. He is also member of the board at HT Media and Trustee at Claremont Graduate University in California. Previously, Mukesh Aghi served as Chief Executive and Member of the Board at L&T Infotech. During his time at Steria, Inc. (India), Dr. Aghi served as Chairman and CEO of the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, Dr. Aghi was the founding CEO of Universitas 21 Global, based in Singapore, the world’s largest consortium of research-led universities and global leader in providing post-graduate online education. He was also the President of IBM India for IBM Corporation and General Manager Manufacturing based out of Japan. Dr. Aghi was Senior Vice President at Ariba Inc based in San Francisco managing global operations. He grew J.D. Edwards global operations based in multiple countries-Tokyo, Singapore, London and Dubai. Dr. Aghi holds several degrees, including an advanced management diploma from Harvard Business School, a Ph.D. in international relations from Claremont Graduate University, an MBA in international marketing from Andrews University, and a BA in business administration from the Middle East College, Beirut, Lebanon. Dr. Aghi was recognized by Esquire Magazine as a Global Leader and has won many awards over the course of his professional career, including the J. R. D. Tata Leadership Award. He was awarded by Government of India Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (India’s President Medal of Honor).

Farwa Aamer is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York where she oversees the institute’s policy work and projects in South Asia. Prior to ASPI, Farwa worked at the Stimson Center where she led research on the security, political, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Through her work, Farwa has organized and convened high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter-and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, climate change, and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia. Farwa also worked on highlighting the disproportionate impacts of climate change and water insecurity on women. From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) and served as the Director of the South Asia program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms for shared economic, financial, and geopolitical interests by bringing together policy shapers, media influencers, thought leaders, and business experts from within South Asia and across the globe.