Finally, the Indian government seems to have convinced its domestic detractors that it is indeed "nonaligned" and that its foreign policy is not being crafted in Washington.
Nothing works better in New Delhi than a putdown of the United States. And what a snub this has been. Despite extensive lobbying by the U.S. military-industrial complex, supported by President Barack Obama himself, India has rejected bids by Lockheed Martin and Boeing for a $10 billion-plus contract for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA).
Instead, New Delhi has short-listed Dassault Aviation's Rafale and the Eurofighter Consortium's Typhoon. Extensive field trials and technical considerations ostensibly drove the final decision. But the dismay in Washington is widespread and, to some extent, understandable given the investment that the U.S. has made in cultivating India in recent years.