( CNN ) -- When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the White House next week , he will carry with him grand hopes for a re-energized partnership between his country and the United States . Fresh off a landslide victory in the Indian elections , Modi has seized an outright majority in parliament and a mandate for sweeping domestic reform . For years , the former chief minister of Gujarat faced an American visa ban due to his alleged role in violent riots . Now , the new premier 's visit represents a key opportunity to recharge a critical bilateral relationship . It 's one the United States and India should seize . Routinely described as `` natural allies , '' India and the United States have over the past year seemed more like estranged partners , united more by a sense of dashed expectations than by a shared approach to common challenges . India 's economy , which grew 7.4 % annually between 2000 and 2011 , fell to 4.5 % growth in 2012 and has rebounded only slightly since . The economic slowdown prompted a more inward focus in New Delhi and questions in Washington about India 's ability to generate national power . At the same time , key agreements went unsigned or unfulfilled , including a landmark civil nuclear accord , defense pacts aimed at deepening security cooperation and a stalled bilateral investment treaty . Indian government officials expressed worry about Obama 's stated commitment to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan ; Americans had their own concerns about India 's disinclination to apply sanctions on Iran . The fallout from the December 2013 arrest in New York of India 's deputy counsel general brought relations to a new low . Albright : Why Modi visit crucial for U.S. , India , world . Nevertheless , the strategic logic compelling closer bilateral ties remains sound . The United States and India share interests , including ensuring a stable Asian balance of power , expanding economic relations , preserving access to the global commons , countering terrorism , expanding access to energy sources and supporting the expansion of human rights . India and the United States view similarly the challenge posed by China 's rise , seeking strong economic ties with China and good diplomatic relations with Beijing while hedging by strengthening relations with other regional powers -- including each other . Stronger ties with India signal that the United States remains committed to an enduring presence in Asia and helps ensure that China ascends in a region where the great democratic powers are also strong . Despite -- or perhaps because of -- the underlying strategic rationale for closer partnership , American and Indian leaders have too frequently sounded more romantic than realistic about the possibilities . Rarely does a speech lack either a reference to the natural affinities between the `` world 's oldest democracy and the world 's largest democracy '' or high-flying rhetoric about the ease with which `` natural allies '' should work together . But invoking such romance risks raising expectations of effortless achievement , as if the compelling logic of two liberty-loving great powers working in harmony is itself sufficient to propel the relationship forward . The reality is more difficult and continuing to build a true strategic partnership will take senior-level ownership , hard work and the expenditure of diplomatic capital . Modi 's visit should mark a new step toward that goal . An ambitious but realistic agenda of deepened political , economic and security ties would reverberate in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond . As the two country 's leaders chart the next phase of the U.S.-India relationship , they should outline a path forward that encompasses new activity in a broad range of areas . Boosting economic and defense ties and enhancing regional cooperation should be at the top of the agenda . In practical terms , Washington and New Delhi should press ahead to complete their bilateral investment treaty negotiations , for instance , seek a resolution to their differences at the World Trade Organization and jump start trade liberalization talks . They should complete the implementation of the civil nuclear agreement and renew and expand their defense framework agreement , which expires next year . And they should deepen regional cooperation , including through dialogue on the shape of Afghanistan after the 2016 withdrawal of American troops and by reviving the U.S.-India-Japan-Australia Quadrilateral Security Dialogue . Modi 's visit to the United States represents an important opportunity to rejuvenate bilateral ties after a period of malaise and inattention . Once the pomp and ceremony of the visit have passed , the two countries must ensure that it does not represent a one-off attempt but rather the beginning of renewed attention to a relationship that requires constant tending . In so doing , they can deepen the transformation of relations between two great powers , anchor an Asian balance of power , spur growth in both countries and smooth the rise of the world 's largest democracy . In a world awash with intractable challenges , this is an investment worth making .
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the United States . India , U.S. have seemed like estranged partners , writes Richard Fontaine . Modi 's visit to U.S. is an opportunity to rejuvenate bilateral ties , Fontaine says .