One of the interesting things about the America-India relationship is witnessing the intersection of two peculiar national pathologies of "exceptionalism." American exceptionalism is messianic, which simultaneously endows it with a brazen confidence and a

relentless outward gaze to whatever is next. The default assumption is that America's founding represents a fundamental break with the past, and therefore the laws of history don't apply to us. OTOH, Indian exceptionalism is inward looking and obsessed with the past.

Indians are convinced that the world revolves around them, and as a result every global event is interpreted through a provincial lens. Each has its pros and cons: America moves fast and breaks things, which gives its people immense creative energy,

but as recent developments have shown us, there is a dire societal cost to such an approach; OTOH Indian self-absorption tends towards arrogance and excessive self-flagellation, but also produces a rare capacity for self-reflection that enables adaptation, assimilation, etc.

For all of the talk about the "natural friendship" between the two countries, the cultural divide is a serious impediment to actual understanding. Each country looks at the other and only sees itself.

Related: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/us-elections-2020-joe-biden-india-us-relations-foreign-policy-7033696/