India, Russia and the U.S.: Three's a Crowd?

NEW DELHI -- The short-but-fruitful visit by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to India last month has resulted in a rich economic and diplomatic haul for the two countries. Moscow and New Delhi signed a raft of deals -- predominantly in defense (to the tune of $4 billion) and civil nuclear cooperation -- in hopes of boosting annual bilateral trade from the current $7.5 billion to $20 billion by 2015.

The agreements will facilitate the construction of 16 Russian-designed nuclear reactors in India, and lead to greater cooperation in the fields of gas, oil and hydrocarbons. India will also work with Russia to develop and manufacture fifth-generation fighter aircraft, augmenting India's aircraft-building capacity. A Russian-built nuclear attack submarine is also in the works. ...