This work aims to understand the strategic Indian-American relationship from 1939 through 2005. In this period, that relationship was marked by a estrangement that very often put these countries in opposite sides, till the end of the 20th Century. In 2001, George W. Bush s administration decided to end the regional containment policy blatantly imposed by USA since 1954 and started to promote India s ascent to the position of a major power in the international system. The notorious Joint Statement of July 18th, 2005 heralded the political and strategical understanding between the two countries, marked USA s acknowledgement of India s military nuclear status and started a strategic partnership supposed to last for forty years.Este trabalho vi...