Strategic partnerships are not tested when leaders exchange compliments, announce visits or promise trade deals. They are tested when something goes wrong. The deaths of three Indian sailors in the Gulf have created precisely such a test for India and the United States. The episode comes at a time when both countries are seeking closer economic and strategic cooperation, negotiating a trade agreement and coordinating on regional security. Yet it has also exposed an uncomfortable truth: geopolitical convergence does not automatically guarantee diplomatic sensitivity.

No serious observer doubts that major powers will act to protect what they perceive as vital security interests. The United States has defended its actions in the Gulf as part of a broader effort to enforce maritime restrictions and maintain pressure on adversaries. Governments have always justified military operations on grounds of national security. That argument is neither new nor unique. The problem lies elsewhere. For many Indians, there remains a distinction between defending a policy and acknowledging a human loss. In this case, the debate has been shaped as much by what was not said as by........

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