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Strategic breakthroughs in Indo-US relations Amar Bhattacharya
It has to be said about Manmohan Singh that he pushed the Indo-US 123 deal with the same sense of single-minded devotion that he showed when introducing the economic reform programme of the 1990s. At that time, like now he had kept the prying eyes of the fellow cabinet minister members at bay – in the case of the economic reform programme, it was not even discussed in the Union Cabinet before its launch, while in the case of the nuclear deal its implications could not have been understood by most of the Cabinet members anyway. He single-handedly steered the country in a way that helped it enjoin the orbit of the United States. His supporting Left allies failed to gain an insight in his interpretation of Indian national interest and were left howling about facetious issues like sovereignty; independent foreign policy-making and the like. They failed to understand that in today’s interdependent world, the only countries who still claim to have independent foreign policies are the USA, Russia and China. And they do it on a material basis that is substantially much bigger than that of India. Russia for example is greatly enriched by its oil wealth. And China has raised at least 300 million people above the poverty level in one generation. India on the other hand has been caught in the wrong company. As Nicholas Burns says, “Some of Indiais fellow nonaligned members are among the world’s most oppressive and antidemocratic regimes. India’s defence of those countries in resolutions at the United Nations and its political and military copperation with some of them – most notably Burma – is anachronistic. Burma is a cruel dictatorship, and its continued detention of the heroic dissident and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who lived in her you and studied at the University of Delhi, serves as a rebuke to all who believe in democratic values. India will also need to be careful about its long-term relationship with Iran. Indians will need to ask themselves if their civilisational link with the Iranian people shall be confused with support for the interests of the irresponsible theocratic regime in Tehran”.
Deal or no Deal ? The Dilemma in Indian Policy Making Karthikeyan A.V.
The fate of the Indo-US Civilian Nuclear agreement hangs in balance as political parties continue to engage in bickering over the implementation of the deal. The lack of political consensus has overshadowed the potential benefits that the deal could bring in the form of assured nuclear fuel supply to our reactors, reduced dependence on oil, lower levels of pollution and the like.. The deal would not only end nuclear apartheid of the US , but also open up avenues for nuclear trade with countries like France and Russia. The ideological affiliations seem to have taken preponderance over practical decision-making process. Elections are due in both India and US, and it would be imprudent to postpone the decision over the nuclear deal to new regimes in either countries. The Indian negotiators have done a good job in extracting benefits from the US and the momentum needs to be taken up to the next level.
India goes for the N-Deal ... and to the polls Mahendra Ved
By all indications, the Indo-US civil nuclear deal that had been all but given up as dead last autumn, has sprung back on the Indian political scene like an avalanche, forcing realignment of political forces and giving all indications for an early general election. At the international level, while never really given up, but the cause of much frustration and warnings by its proponents and glee for its critics, the deal has come to provide the much needed thrust, not only to Indo-US relations, but underlines the importance of nuclear power in any major nation’s energy quest. Deal or no deal, India’s domestic scene is on the boil. There is nothing mythical or hypothetical about this modern-day amrit manthan, the churning that is seeing India hurtling towards early elections. The sounds of poll trumpet can already been heard. It is too early, and worthless, to speculate as to who will get the nectar and who will left with poison from this churning.
India-US Economic Relations: The way ahead Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastav
The economic relations between India and United States are vital and important for these two great democracies in the 21st century. The economic cooperation between the two countries increased rapidly with the start of economic reforms in India in 1991 which was coincided by Information Technology revolution in the country. United States is now one of the largest foreign direct investors in India and also India’s largest trading partner. The FDI inflows from the US constitute about 11 percent of the total actual FDI inflows into India. Realising India’s economic potential as India is second fastest growing economy in the world and the shared benefits of economic cooperation, both India and US have moved economically closer, putting in place various mechanisms that work at government to government level and business to business (B2B) levels. Though there are certain economic issues which cause friction such as violations of intellectual property rights in India, issue of farm subsidy in US and India’s concerns, Basmati rice patent dispute and economic sanctions etc. Despite these hurdles India- US economic cooperation is moving in the right direction and future prospects are brighter than ever before.
Indo-US Defence Co-operation Saileja
This article aims to look into the dynamics of the recent upswing in the Indo-US Defense cooperation. The enormous improvement in defense cooperation is explored in the light of security interests of India and the United States, locating it in the larger foreign and security policy interests of both the countries. It also attempts to identify the major challenges to bilateral defense cooperation and also its future prospects. The principal argument is that the intensity and rigor of the present bilateral defense cooperation rests largely on the perceived convergence of strategic interests of the two countries and the business interests of the United States. However, the bilateral cooperation in the significant and sensitive area of defense is still haunted by several important concerns of the decision making apparatus in both the governments and consequently the future of the improved relationship would depend on deliverables which are long-term as well as mutually beneficial in nature.
Growing Influence of Indian American Lobbying on Indo-US Relations Dr. Ashok Sharma
This article looks into influence of lobbying as a factor in today’s much enhanced and deeply involved Indo-US relationship which is marked by frequent joint military exercises, maritime cooperation, counterterrorism cooperation, defence purchase, signing of a ten year Defence Framework Agreement, and Indo-US nuclear deal. It emphasizes that increasing well organised lobbying activities by professional Indian-American lobbying groups, India Caucus and lobbying firms hired by India have contributed to positive and constructive perceptions about India among the US policy makers. As a result, after the Cold War, the bilateral relations has emerged out of historical baggage and there has been a considerable shift in the attitude of American policy makers, which has in turn paved the way for better Indo-US relations. The lobbying effort has been a critical factor in mustering Congressional and Executive support for India specific issues at many occasions including the smooth passage of the US-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement of 2006.
Indo-US Co-operation in Education Kaustav Padmapati
Education is one of the most important areas, where Indo-US cooperation is clearly and most widely visible. Although both India and the United States have completely different traditions of education, it is the only area where we can see stable relation between them. For years, the United States has been the preferred destination for thousands of Indian students going abroad to pursue higher education. This trend continued, despite ups and downs in the bilateral relation between both the countries. Today, India is number one in the world in sending students to the United States for higher education. With the economic liberalization in India and the subsequent boom in living standards of Indian middle class in the early 1990’s, the number of youth traveling to study in the United States has increased tremendously. However, globalization has also led to a commercialization of education turning India into a big market for foreign countries. Education is an important field where the US can earn more money by attracting larger number of Indian students. So, in the future there a is possibility of turning India into a educational market by the US. Therefore, it is essential to find out the important areas where the educational ties can be strengthened with the aim of fostering mutual understanding rather than commercialization.
Indo-US Relations: Assessing the China Factor Dr. Monika Chansoria
The post-Cold War years witnessed a convergence of interests between Washington and New Delhi and the latter’s economic rise as a regional and global power consequently served as a vital catalyst in the process. Significantly, Washington’s recognition could also be attributed to the rise of People’s Republic of China’s enormous conventional military forces coupled with the fast-paced modernization of its sophisticated nuclear, naval and air power, besides the overall size and growth of its economy. These pristine equations came to be recognized as a common binding factor that suited New Delhi and Washington’s regional security calculus vis-à-vis China. This could well be one of the considerable premises for the explanation of the shift in Indo-US ties with Washington prophesying the rise of India in South Asia as a potential counterweight to China’s growing clout in Asia.
The Pakistan Factor in India-US Relations: Is it finally muted? Monish Tourangbham
One of the unmistakable influences in the trajectory of India-U.S. Relations has been the unpredictable “Pakistan Factor”. Its impact has been visibly potent in impeding opportunities of any active engagement between India and the United States. The events of September 11 have brought significant changes to the contours of both India-U.S. and U.S.-Pakistan Relations. Fortunately, the vigour of India-U.S. Relations since 2001 has been fairly devoid of this factor. But, it has neither changed the geopolitical importance of Pakistan nor the unpredictability of this factor. As such, this article is an attempt to analytically construct the geopolitics and the political manouevres of both powerful and weak countries that went on to make Pakistan a factor in India-U.S. Relations. Moreover, a reassessment of this factor becomes all the more imperative after 9/11 and in the face of new power equations in Pakistan and impending elections in both India and the United States
Climate Change: India and United States Ms. Stuti Banerjee
Ozone layer depletion, global warming, acid deposition, tropical deforestation, desertification, air and water pollution, endangered species, marine pollution, and trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes are known as global environmental issues because their impacts and damages affect not only the countries that caused the problems, but go beyond their national boundaries and reach an international scale and require international efforts for solution. India, as any developing nation, is facing environmental problems as a result of her rapid growing population, which places a great strain on the country’s environment. The Environment Track of the U.S.-India Economic Dialogue was established as a result of the Joint Statement issued by the White House following the meeting between the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of India on November 9, 2001. This prompted the visit to India by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in January 2002, where a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India Concerning Cooperation in Environmental Protection” was signed. This MOU established a framework for policy and technical cooperation between MoEF and EPA (with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development) in four major areas: air quality management, water quality management, management of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste, and environmental governance. |