| Summary/Abstract |
The ongoing Ladakh crisis between India and China has accentuated a discussion on India allying with the US. However, despite India's steady growth of bilateral security relations with the US, New Delhi's response to the idea of becoming part of a formal alliance has so far been non-comittal. In such a context, the question – will the rising Chinese threat now foster a desire in India to align with the US? – is worth examining. Probing the question, this article contends that while the Ladakh crisis has indubitably heightened India's security challenges emanating from Beijing, yet the possibility of an alliance at the moment remains no more than modest. It notes several challenges and implications that prevent its emergence. They include India's attachment to strategic autonomy, the Pakistan factor, the Russia factor, the Iran factor, unresolved trade disagreements, India's fear of getting entangled in great power rivalry, and the possibility of a US-China rapprochement in the future.
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