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‘India’s support crucial for US in Af-Pak’

Manmohan Singh and Barack Obama will have tough issues to tackle besides exchanging the traditional toasts.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in the US on Monday for a state visit. In what is said to be the grandest of White House affairs, US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will hold their first state dinner for Dr Singh under a white marquee erected on the South Lawn.
No matter how grand the whole affair is, the two leaders will have tough issues to tackle besides exchanging the traditional toasts. From economy and climate change to China and Af-Pak, the US and India have a lot to interact and cooperate on during the Indian Premier’s four-day stay. Dr Singh’s visit to the US has come at a time when India is squeezed between a volatile neighbour on the West and an aggressive one on the East. What adds to the trouble is that both Pakistan and China are quite significant for the host of Dr Singh, i.e. the US. The meet, of course, will give a golden chance to both the leaders to strengthen bilateral relationship, push forward strategic dialogue and give a boost to the mushrooming economic ties. “There is a new administration in America. So it is appropriate I should renew our partnership,” Dr Singh told the Washington Post on the eve of his departure from New Delhi. A number of eyebrows were raised when Obama did not include India, but China, while touring Asia recently. Does that mean Obama’s invitation to Dr Singh as the first state guest is nothing but a balancing act? “I do not see the two as connected. India is an important state in its own right, and President Obama will welcome Premier Singh in that context,” says Eric Heginbotham, an Asia specialist at Rand Corporation, a Santa Monica-based think-tank. In an e-mail interview to Kamna Arora of Zeenews.com, Heginbotham said, “From my perspective, the discussions of this issue in the Indian media, as well as similar efforts to view US policy in the context of its posture on China, highlight what appears to be a growing sensitivity to, or sense of rivalry with, China.” “As for the President’s (Obama) Asia trip, it is impossible to do everything in a single outing. While it is true that many issues cross regional divides and that China is, in a sense, a pivot state that straddles different regions, the focus of this trip was on East Asia. If every trip to China by a US President had to include all the countries that engage heavily with China, each trip would have to be virtually global in character.” Economy US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian affairs, Robert O Blake, has already suggested that the future of US-India relations rests on the shoulders of the private sector. Does that mean the ties between New Delhi and Washington influentially rely on the opportunities opened by India for foreign investment? Heginbotham clarifies: “No, there is no direct link, if the question is about some kind of ‘conditionality’ for better ties. But strong and enduring political relations often rest on a foundation of economic exchange and common interest.” “In many ways, the political relationship between India and the United States has gotten out ahead of the economic relationship over the last 10 years or so. I think Blake’s remarks probably reflect a desire to build the strongest possible foundation for long-term political partnership – and in the process strengthen the economies of both states.” “Although the economic relationship has taken a bit of a hit from the current economic slump, trade and investment ties have, in fact, developed remarkably rapidly in recent years. The conclusion of a bilateral investment treaty (between India and the US) would probably further that goal.” Af-Pak The ongoing war on terrorism in Afghanistan has unnerved the Obama administration. Mr President is working hard to sketch a exit plan of US troops, but the increasing violence in Afghanistan and its spill over in Pakistan has destabilised the entire region. India has been the target of Afghanistan Taliban for its friendly ties with the government in Kabul. And it is just not possible for the Obama administration to ignore India in Afghanistan. Explaining the whole situation, Heginbotham says: “Yes, the US absolutely sees India’s support for the region as crucial for its own interests.” “India has become an important partner of the Afghan government as it rebuilds the country, and the United States will certainly welcome a continuation or even expansion of that role. Of course, the United States also views broader stability in South Asia as central to positive outcomes in Afghanistan, as well as in the larger fight against al Qaeda, so I would imagine that it will also be hoping to see further progress in India-Pakistan relations.” “It should be said, that the United States will also look for cooperation beyond South Asia. The two have had differences on Iran policy in the past, but certainly President Obama will be hoping that India and the United States can narrow their differences and work towards common non-proliferation goals in their respective postures towards Iran and the Middle East more generally.”