- American unilateralism and extraterritorial sanctions pose significant hurdles in India-U.S. strategic partnership. - India's adherence to strategic autonomy and multi-alignment often clashes with Washington's global strategic expectations. - Friction in bilateral ties stems from divergent approaches to international law, trade, and regional security architectures. - **Strategic Autonomy:** India’s foundational foreign policy principle of maintaining independent decision-making and sovereign external relations without entering into rigid military alliances, allowing it to engage with multiple global powers pragmatically. - **Extraterritorial Sanctions:** Measures imposed by a single country targeting the economic or political activities of third-party nations and entities operating outside its own sovereign borders, frequently disrupting independent international commerce. - **American Unilateralism:** A foreign policy approach where a powerful nation acts on the international stage based primarily on its own national interests, bypassing multilateral institutions and international consensus. **Introduction** The article discusses the enduring challenges in India-U.S. relations, focusing on how American unilateralism, extraterritorial sanctions, and differing global outlooks create friction, testing India's policy of strategic autonomy. **Core Issue and Detailed Points** - American unilateralism and extraterritorial sanctions pose significant hurdles in India-U.S. strategic partnership. - India's adherence to strategic autonomy and multi-alignment often clashes with Washington's global strategic expectations. - Friction in bilateral ties stems from divergent approaches to international law, trade, and regional security architectures. **Key Statutory Bodies, Acts & Concepts** - **Strategic Autonomy:** India’s foundational foreign policy principle of maintaining independent decision-making and sovereign external relations without entering into rigid military alliances, allowing it to engage with multiple global powers pragmatically. - **Extraterritorial Sanctions:** Measures imposed by a single country targeting the economic or political activities of third-party nations and entities operating outside its own sovereign borders, frequently disrupting independent international commerce. - **American Unilateralism:** A foreign policy approach where a powerful nation acts on the international stage based primarily on its own national interests, bypassing multilateral institutions and international consensus.