India and America will make great partners
India and the US need to rejuvenate interest in each other. Misreading, misunderstanding, or simply losing interest are not options. Friendship with each other is the strategic necessity for both India and America. The question is whether either side is really interested in a real "strategic partnership".
The thing is both India and America are open democracies while China is not. Hence friendship with India will benefit America more than bonding with China.
India-US relations did strengthen a bit after President Barack Obama's India visit last November. Unfortunately, there is no senior political voice in the White House which advocates building up of strong relationship with India.
Three issues are cited repeatedly by members of the US Congress and some in the White House for the "drift" in relations - elimination of the two US fighter planes from the largest defence contract India would grant, the nuclear liability law which makes it hard for American companies to get a slice of India's nuclear pie and India's abstention in the UN Security Council on the vote authorizing force against Libya.. Things would be much easier if Washington recognized and treated India as a "partner", not competitor. US lawmakers tend to cast India as a job stealer and a climate changer. They ignore investments and job creation by Indian companies.
The US Congress is focused on the big contract lost and the US defence industry is "shocked" by India's decision to reject American jets. But if the industry and the administration wanted to show commitment to the partnership and make a qualitative leap, the US would have offered its more advanced fighters.
The good news is that India has embraced US defence technology and already signed up to buy 10 US C-17 heavy lift aircraft worth $4.1 billion, with talk of another six in the future worth $6 billion. It has bought American military transport planes and Boeing will sell 30 B737 ($2.7 billion) to SpiceJet.
As for the nuclear liability law, it came against the background of demands for justice for Bhopal gas victims. And America is obviously angry about India's abstention on Libya.
India has over the years watched US policy on Pakistan and tolerated the go-soft approach on terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba. Many Pakistani actions against India - the Mumbai attacks, bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul - are thinly disguised acts of war. Yet, self-interest and US persuasion have kept the Indo-Pak dialogue going.
The good politicians in Washington must understand the needs of a partner which is neither a challenge like China nor reflexively anti-American like Pakistan. India is the right partner for America.
India and the US need to rejuvenate interest in each other. Misreading, misunderstanding, or simply losing interest are not options. Friendship with each other is the strategic necessity for both India and America. The question is whether either side is really interested in a real "strategic partnership".
The thing is both India and America are open democracies while China is not. Hence friendship with India will benefit America more than bonding with China.
India-US relations did strengthen a bit after President Barack Obama's India visit last November. Unfortunately, there is no senior political voice in the White House which advocates building up of strong relationship with India.
Three issues are cited repeatedly by members of the US Congress and some in the White House for the "drift" in relations - elimination of the two US fighter planes from the largest defence contract India would grant, the nuclear liability law which makes it hard for American companies to get a slice of India's nuclear pie and India's abstention in the UN Security Council on the vote authorizing force against Libya.. Things would be much easier if Washington recognized and treated India as a "partner", not competitor. US lawmakers tend to cast India as a job stealer and a climate changer. They ignore investments and job creation by Indian companies.
The US Congress is focused on the big contract lost and the US defence industry is "shocked" by India's decision to reject American jets. But if the industry and the administration wanted to show commitment to the partnership and make a qualitative leap, the US would have offered its more advanced fighters.
The good news is that India has embraced US defence technology and already signed up to buy 10 US C-17 heavy lift aircraft worth $4.1 billion, with talk of another six in the future worth $6 billion. It has bought American military transport planes and Boeing will sell 30 B737 ($2.7 billion) to SpiceJet.
As for the nuclear liability law, it came against the background of demands for justice for Bhopal gas victims. And America is obviously angry about India's abstention on Libya.
India has over the years watched US policy on Pakistan and tolerated the go-soft approach on terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba. Many Pakistani actions against India - the Mumbai attacks, bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul - are thinly disguised acts of war. Yet, self-interest and US persuasion have kept the Indo-Pak dialogue going.
The good politicians in Washington must understand the needs of a partner which is neither a challenge like China nor reflexively anti-American like Pakistan. India is the right partner for America.
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