Policy Brief | November 2021
Event Report from Convergence and Divergence in U.S.-Indian Perspectives: Towards Bridging the Gap
How do Indian Gen-Z and millennials studying internationals and coming of age in a post-liberalization India perceive India-U.S. ties? Given nearly 15 years of increasingly strong strategic relations between the two countries, we might expect that millennials and G-Z would take close India-U.S. ties almost for granted. Or do they share a more complex view like earlier generations who witnessed a rockier bilateral relationship? Looking ahead, what do these budding IR scholars see as the key issues that bind India and the U.S. and what do they think needs to be done for even stronger bonds?
A recent Workshop held by George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and Christ University in Bangalore gave graduate and undergraduate university students studying international relations across South India the chance to weigh in with their views and questions on the topic of “Convergence and Divergence in US-India Perspectives: Towards Bridging the Gap.” Nearly four hundred students had the opportunity to engage with several leading U.S. based experts on issues ranging from economics and security to political values and soft power.
The Workshop sought to elicit student reactions to experts who put forth what they saw as the top three convergences and divergences. Across three panels, a lead U.S. foreign policy speaker was followed by two advanced graduate students who served as respondents. The first panel focused on Economics and Technology, the second on Security and Strategy, with the final one on Political Values and Soft Power.
What did the experts offer as their top picks for U.S-India convergences and divergences and what did the younger demographic have to say about it? What conclusions can we draw about perspectives on future relations?
