In early November, without warning, the Indian government declared the two largest denomination bills invalid, abolishing over 80 percent of circulating cash by value. Amidst all the commotion and outrage this caused, nobody seems to have taken note of the decisive role that Washington played in this. U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the strategic partnership with India a priority of his foreign policy. In the context of this partnership, the US government’s development agency USAID has negotiated cooperation agreements with the Indian ministry of finance to push back the use of cash in favor of digital payments in India...