U.S administration under trump has granted STA-1 status to India. While the media projects it as India become the first South Asian countries to be recognized as par with NATO allies of the U.S like Japan, Australia, and South Korea. But this has been in the cards as the trade deals has witnessed steep hike and India become one of the largest importers of U.S arms. The attempts to diversify Russian led imports has been widely acclaimed by defense experts that grant the nation access to high tech defense system.

The stalwarts of political science used to say that there are no permanent friends or enemies only the interest matters especially at a bilateral level. The recent hawkish stance of U.S has attracted widespread discontent among its traditional allies like EU and Canada. It has been witnessed in G-7 meeting that how countries come together to impose retaliatory move against protectionist policies.

The granting of status also has to be viewed in such manner as the administration under trump remains a transactional approach. While the growing stature of the nation demands altering it’s conventional way of going along the rule-based order. Though multilateral institutions like WTO faces wide criticism from U.S, it functions along the lines of one nation one vote. India cannot be a mute spectator demanding reforms and expecting the changes to happen. As a growing power, India can neither follow the assertive stance of China nor claim over bode disregarding multilateral institution with least concern for rule of law.

Such growing influence requires pursuing strategic autonomy. Though the administration is keen on pushing the deals one has to quantify the benefits. Access to high tech defense system also means loss of opportunity to build capacity in manufacturing indigenous missile system. The strategic sense of pursuing policies has to incentive companies manufacturing defense materials to set up the manufacturing base.

Indo-U.S relation has faced a tumultuous phase as each other dragging for WTO’s dispute readdressal mechanism. While the U.S pressurize India to follow rationalize policy for hiking support price mechanism in the country. India filed notices against the U.S as it imposes tariffs for the import of Indian steel and aluminum.

It also has to be kept in mind the recognition of India as a strategic partner arises when it seriously started retrospecting cozying with Pakistan. The earlier stance of good and bad terrorism of U.S cannot be waded off. The pursuance of U.S policy always has been for meeting it’s core interest and the time has arisen for the Indian nation to stand on its autonomic stance without buckling under the pressure of others so-called developed country.