Balancing act, diverging interests: The shades of grey in India-US ties and a quandary for Quad

India's security ties with the United States have traditionally commanded attention within the broader context of India's foreign affairs. Although Indo-US security cooperation has matured over the last two decades in quantitative and qualitative terms, it takes a few dull moments for commentators to write the obituary of India-US relations. The oscillation between the extremes of "strong ties" and "frosty relations" makes it difficult to grasp the real-world complexities or the underlying phenomenon at play. To truly understand the gradations in contemporary India-US security ties, it is pertinent to grasp the simultaneous interplay of two concepts of International Relations role…