Why India Walks a Tightrope Between US and Russia

After the Cold War split the world into two camps starting in the 1950s, newly independent India became a founder of the Non-Aligned Movement — a group of countries that sided neither with Washington nor Moscow.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has kept some elements of that policy intact, and thrown others out of the window. Most notably, Modi has pursued deeper links with the US, which it sees as a partner in standing up to a more assertive China. At the same time, he has continued to cultivate his country’s longstanding ties to Moscow.