The post-Cold War global and policy changes brought deep transformations to the Indian American community. Several new layers were added to the multi-layered community, which was strongly divided along sub-identity factors. Nevertheless, they had evident numeric growth. Among the new groups that the Indian American community came to comprise were Dalits, IT labor, the second generation, and women. These changes in the context of this community marked the improvement of financial and intellectual strength, the beginning of the caste divide, and increased the number of women immigrants. Many second-generation Indian Americans were graduating from the universities; this was a result of policies of the previous era. These transitions created circumstances for the expansion of Indian American: (a) associations, groups, and organizations; and (b) political participation. These changes led to the gradual rise of Indian American networking/strategic elites who could exercise soft power.