‘American Foreign Policy Is A Big Puzzle, Us Needs Stronger Ties With India’: Ex-CIA Officer | World News

Washington: The United States should forge a much stronger relationship with India and describe the interests of both countries as “compatible” despite turmoil in past relations, according to James C. Lawler, a renowned former CIA officer and former head of the agency’s Non-Proliferation Division.

In an interview with ANI, Lawler said he never fully understood why India and the US were “never enemies, never true friends” despite sharing many common interests and values. He said: “Sometimes I think American foreign policy is a great conundrum. What I hope is that the United States needs a much stronger relationship with India. Many of our interests align. We have vibrant economies. Many ethnic Indians are among our brightest people in America.”

Lawler said the two countries share democratic frameworks and similar economic goals should not be a “divergence”. “You are a democracy. We are a democracy. You have moved from more socialist policies to more capitalism. I think we can be much stronger by working together rather than being cold,” he said. He also stated that he hopes to visit India one day, saying, “I have never been to India. I would love to go sometime.”

His remarks come at a time when there are many changes in India-US relations, especially during President Donald Trump’s second term. The relationship entered a difficult phase after Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs of 25 percent on Indian goods and called India the “customs king”. The US President then added another 25 percent tariff, saying it was a punishment for India continuing to buy Russian oil. Trump also accused India and other countries of “financing the Russia-Ukraine war.”

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly denied these allegations. Later, as relations improved, Trump repeatedly claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil. The Indian side did not make such talks public.

Another major point of friction was Trump’s repeated claims that he personally prevented India and Pakistan from engaging in a “potential nuclear war.” He made this claim referring to the period of border tension following Operation Sindoor, which was launched after the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 25 civilians and one tourist. India has consistently rejected this version of events.

New Delhi claimed that the ceasefire along the Line of Control was achieved bilaterally through the Directors General of Military Operations and that there was no mediation by any third party. India also reiterated that any issues related to Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, should be resolved bilaterally. Meanwhile, Lawler, who served as a CIA operations officer in various international missions for 25 years, said that it was difficult to explain the hesitations in India-US relations during his time working in the US intelligence agency.

“India was much friendlier to the Soviet Union than us. Most of India’s military weapons were Soviet. I think we should provide more technology to India,” he said. He added that he has read reports that major Indian companies have now stopped buying Russian oil, expressing that this is an opening for deeper cooperation.

Lawler stated that both countries face similar strategic concerns, including China, and said that old thinking should be put aside. “The Cold War is over. Let’s try to find more common interests. We can be much stronger by working together,” he said.