Multilevel Analysis of US–India Strategic Alignment and Contestation: Implications for Nepal

Abstract

The relations between the United States and India which is characterized by both convergence and divergence across multiple sectors, has grown in significance amid a developing global power transfer. With a focus on the strategic ramifications for Nepal, this study explores the evolving dynamics of US-India relations within the broader framework of regional and global geopolitical changes. It highlights important points of agreement, like democratic ideals, counterbalancing China and Indo-Pacific cooperation, as well as divisions based on strategic autonomy, multilateralism and regional objectives. The study looks at how Nepal's geopolitical environment is impacted by structural and regional trends which force it to confront challenging strategic demands. The study uses Role Theory to analyze Nepal's self-perceptions and the expectations that the US and India have of it, revealing perceptual gaps and conflicting role conceptions in this triangle interaction. Three levels of theme analysis descriptive, comparative and contextual as well as Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA) are part of the article's qualitative,interpretive research methodology. The results highlight Nepal's difficult balancing act between cooperating with both powers and preserving strategic autonomy, and they shed light on the wider ramifications of great power competition for small South Asian states in a multipolar global system.