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Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to discuss Ashley Tellis’s newest article, “America’s Bad Bet on India.” Tellis argues that if America thinks India will fight on its side in a conflict with China, “Washington’s expectations of India are misplaced….New Delhi will never involve itself in any U.S. confrontation with Beijing that does not directly threaten its own security.” Should the United States expect the world’s largest democracy to come to its aid if there is a conflict with China over Taiwan? What does New Delhi want out of its relationship with Washington? Will India’s democratic backsliding affect its relationship with the United States? Chris has a shoutout for Dr. Jennifer Lind for an article well done, Zack has complaints about the overreaction to news of Cuba possibly hosting a Chinese spy base, and Melanie congratulates War on the Rocks friend Will Inboden on his new post.

Episode Reading:

• Ashley Tellis, “America’s Bad Bet on India,” Foreign Affairs, May 1, 2023.
• Arzan Tarapore, “America’s Best Bet in the Indo-Pacific,” Foreign Affairs, May 29, 2023.
• Prashant Jha, “US Seals Key Jet Engine Deal Ahead of Modi’s Visit,” Hindustan Times, June 19, 2023.
• “America is Courting India in Part for Its Growing Economic Clout,” The Economist, June 13, 2023.
• Jennifer Lind, “Japan Can’t Pass the Buck Anymore,” New York Times, May 18, 2023
• Jaroslaw Adamowski, “Hungary responds after US senator says he blocked HIMARS purchase,” Defense News, June 15, 2023

Image: The White House