Replication Data for: Identity and Security Interests in the Indo-US Relationship

The US and India have forged a remarkably close security relationship since 2000 given the previous hostility of India to American foreign policy in general. Indian state identity until the mid-1990s was shaped by non-alignment and antipathy to the US-led liberal economic order. If identity is the source of interests, then how do states adopt policies that conflict with core elements of their identity when geopolitical shifts push states to adapt to a new regional balance of power? We argue that India did this by activating parts of the state identity that were compatible with American state identity and deemphasizing those elements that were incompatible. But in doing so Indian state identity changed, which impacts on future foreign policy choices. This case illustrates the reciprocal relationship between security interests and state identity. We use content analysis of 10 years of Indian media to demonstrate that the depiction of the US-Indian relationship increasingly focused on the democratic shared values of both states, despite beginning with an emphasis on military cooperation.