The Aspen Institute

The Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen India organized the 18th session of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi at a challenging time for an Indian government that is trying to restore momentum to its stalled economic reform agenda and deal with corruption scandals. A new feature at this meeting was to divide the delegates into small breakout groups around individual areas of expertise (cyberspace, defense technology, homeland security, and energy) to allow for a more concentrated discussion. As in the past, the American delegation met with a wide array of senior leaders in the Indian government, including National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Sachin Pilot, and Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India Nandan Nilekani. The 18th session of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue concluded with a commitment to assemble a list of steps to invigorate the U.S.-India bilateral relationship.