INDIA’S WORLD

APLN member Rakesh Sood was interviewed by India’s World, where he shared his insights on the the broader implications of the India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in strengthening India-US ties.

Hely Desai: What do you make of the outgoing National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan’s visit to New Delhi and his announcement on lifting restrictions, just two weeks before President Trump’s inauguration? Additionally, with the External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar meeting both the outgoing and incoming U.S. NSAs and Secretaries of State ahead of the curbs being lifted, what significance do you attach to the timing and context of these diplomatic engagements?

Rakesh Sood: The iCET is a Biden Administration initiative. It is ambitious and wide-ranging in scope—covering multiple technologies, involving businesses and academic institutions in both countries. Launched in May 2022, by President Joe Biden and PM Narendra Modi, two meetings at the level of NSAs have taken place in January 2023 and June 2024, together with multiple other rounds of discussion. However, there is still a lot of work to be done.

I believe that the Biden administration wanted to define this initiative, by registering some final achievements, so that iCET could then be handed over to the incoming Trump administration. India-U.S. relations have enjoyed a positive trajectory reflecting continuity—from the Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. I see the Sullivan visit as a capstone visit, which underlines the key objectives and achievements so far, and if it has drawn out the next steps, it becomes a useful hand-over to the incoming Trump administration officials. We know that India’s Foreign Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, was also in Washington last month in December, where he met with both the outgoing NSA, Jake Sullivan and the incoming NSA appointee, Mike Waltz.

So, there would have been an element of explaining the new developments regarding the initiative, thereby ensuring quick follow-up. Clearly, the Biden administration views the iCET initiative as a key pillar in the evolution of India-U.S. relations and aims to ensure that this legacy continues under the new administration.

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