Webinar on ‘U.S. Foreign Policy with India’ by Seattle University

About the Webinar on U.S. Foreign Policy with India

U.S.-India foreign relations have been at an all-time high. Under Trump’s first tenure, the U.S.-India partnership saw both advancements and challenges. The start of Trump’s second term promised an unprecedented level of cooperation between the nations.

In February 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump met in Washington and announced the U.S.-India COMPACT—a wide-ranging initiative to deepen cooperation across military, commerce, and technology and the TRUST initiative to bolster joint innovation in AI, semiconductors, critical minerals, and pharmaceuticals. The leaders of the world’s largest democracies also announced an ambitious plan to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, with trade deal negotiations scheduled for fall 2025.

Despite these advancements, the recent surprise 26% tariff on Indian imports (which is paused at the time of this writing) has raised questions about the durability of the economic partnership.

As one of the U.S.’s largest trade partners, India faces both challenges and opportunities that could impact the country’s export competitiveness. Furthermore, the recent revocations of student visas may substantially disrupt the pipeline of India’s international students and foreign workers who contribute to the U.S. high-tech workforce.

What is the long-term impact of the “America First” policy on India-U.S. relations, and how will these dynamics evolve in under the new tariff plan? How can economic policies balance competition with cooperation? How are Indian Americans shaping U.S.-India relations, from high-ranking government positions to driving innovation and diplomacy? And how can the diaspora continue to bridge divides and foster enduring bilateral ties?

Moderator

Sital Kalantry, Founding Director Roundglass India Center, Associate Dean and Professor of Law at the Seattle University Law School.

Speakers

• Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for Asia Policy Studies at Brookings Institute
• Milan Vaishnav, Director and Senior Fellow, South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Date

May 16, 2025

Time

9am-10am PT | Noon – 1pm EST

Click here to register.