US-IndiaThe Way Forward

THE MAGAZINEIndia Abroad September 27, 2013

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When strategic part-ners and sisterdemocracies likeIndia and theUnited States ofAmerica meet, the

world sits up and takes note.Therefore, the visit of India’s PrimeMinister, Dr Manmohan Singh toWashington, DC and his upcomingmeeting with President BarackObama shines the light on a vitalrelationship of great importance notonly because of its bilateral impact,but the difference it makes for peaceand progress everywhere.

Contributors to this supplementhave raised several important ques-tions in the context of this relation-ship and its growth over the lastdecade. It is acknowledged that therehas been a remarkable improvementin relations between the two coun-tries over the last decade, and that for

India, the range of engagement withthe US (over 30 dialogue mecha-nisms) far exceeds that with anyother country. No longer are therehyphens attached to India in thinkingcircles in Washington; the civiliannuclear deal overcame difficult lega-cies of the past, and the US has resetnot only its vision of India, but alsoIndia’s place in Asia and the world.

The defense of pluralism, of diversi-ty, of democracy is a mutually sharedperspective. There is also recognitionof the pivotal role played by theIndian-American community.

But our learned contributors alsospeak of a need for work on bothsides to re-launch the partnership, todispel perception of a loss of momen-tum, to set long term goals in thebilateral relationship, to impressupon Americans that India is a placewhere they can do business. With thegood sense possessed by democracies,

it is also amply recognized that uni-dimensional approaches cannot dic-tate the manner in which the rela-tionship is transacted.

This cannot detract however, fromthe fundamentally positive orienta-tion of relations between India andthe United States.

Speaking in Mumbai during hisvisit to India in July this year, theVice President Joe Biden put it in hisinimitable way, ‘I am absolutely con-fident — absolutely confident in thefuture of this relationship. Notbecause I’m naïve. I’ve been aroundlonger than most of you. I’ve beendoing this kind of business my entireadult life. My confidence is based onthe history of the journey of both ourcountries. But I am confident.’

And as Vice-President Biden alsoput it, there is no hyperbole in the

Alittle more than eight years ago, on July18, 2005, Dr Manmohan Singh embarkedon perhaps the most audacious diplomaticmission an Indian prime minister hasundertaken — to completely transform the

long troubled relationship with the United States ofAmerica.

By “removing the fish bone in the throat” — as asenior Indian diplomat once described the US deci-sion to sign a civilian nuclear agreement with India —President George W Bush enforced his administrationand his nation’s commitment to a new and powerfulassociation with India.

Much has happened in the years since. There havebeen many moments of exhilarating triumph as therehave been moments of intense disappointment.

Despite the belief in some quarters that the US-India relationship has not achieved its full potential,despite the occasional anxiety and the frustrations onboth sides, it is amply clear that the world’s two great-est democracies are closer today than they have everbeen.

To mark what could be Dr Singh’s final visit to theUnited States as prime minister, India Abroad inviteddiplomats and strategic thinkers in New Delhi andWashington, DC to assess the current state of the US-India relationship and suggest a road map for thefuture.

For the first time in India Abroad’s 43-year-old his-tory, we invited a Guest Editor to edit this specialissue of the India Abroad Magazine. One of the finestdiplomats in the history of the Indian Foreign Service,Ambassador Nirupama Rao.

When we invited India’s Ambassador to the UnitedStates to be our first-ever Guest Editor, she gracefullyconsented on condition that she would see every wordthat went into this, the special issue of the IndiaAbroad Magazine.

She has been a tough editor, scrutinizing every arti-cle, making numerous valuable suggestions and bring-ing her 40-year-old most distinguished diplomaticcareer to bear on the rich portfolio of insights webring to you this week.

This is an issue of the India Abroad Magazine likenone other.

What you will find within are a colorful tapestry ofviews that profile what President Obama described asthe most decisive relationship for this, the 21st centu-ry. We are pleased to feature these contributors in thisspecial issue and deeply honored to have AmbassadorRao as its Guest Editor.

— The Editors

The US and India share more than a partnership, they share a fellowship forged on the anvil of shared interests, values, and concerns. AMBASSADOR NIRUPAMA RAO on the journey

so far and the way forward.

The Silent Revolution

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s upcoming meeting with President Barack Obama shines the light on a vital relationship of greatimportance not only because of its bilateral impact, but the difference it makes for peace and progress everywhere.

JASON REED/REUTERS

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PARE

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India’s Ambassador to the UnitedStates Nirupama Rao.

US-IndiaThe Way Forward

THE MAGAZINEIndia Abroad September 27, 2013

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definition of this relationship as a ‘defin-ing partnership.’

Congressman Joe Crowley, co-chair,House Caucus on India and the IndianAmericans, writing in this supplement,says, “We have simply come too fartogether to turn back,” adding that “thefruits of cooperation far outweigh thecosts of discord.”

There is a sense of maturity in therelationship today, as Robert Hathawaynotes in these pages, which more thancompensates for the sense of anticipa-tion that coursed through the veins a fewyears ago. A “settled routine” prevails. Ameasured sense of mature realismunderscored by basic goodwill andempathy is not to be lightly dismissed. Itcan be the lodestar for a durable rela-tionship where the best is yet to be.

When I recce the landscape of ourbilateral relations, I direct the pointertowards our enhanced engagement inareas like defense and security, exchangeof high-level visits, the regular meetingsof the India-US Strategic Dialogue since2010, our burgeoning trade and eco-nomic partnership, and the sharperfocus that has been brought to the “peo-ple-centric” dimension of our relation-ship, together with our cooperation in sectors such as edu-cation, energy, S&T, innovation, health and space science.Contacts between states in India and those in the UnitedStates have also been a feature of our exchanges. The USCongress, and particularly members of the India Caucus,have time and again shown their focus and commitment tothe cause of better US-India relations. This is a silent revo-lution, not a blockbuster one, but epochal all the same.

In civil nuclear cooperation, negotiations between India’sNuclear Power Corporation and Westinghouse as also GE-Hitachi are under way. Progress even if slow, is steady, sus-tained by the political will of both governments to ensurethat this cooperation achieves its goals. We look forward tocontinued US support and cooperation in securing India’smembership of the four multilateral export control regimes.

In defense, our cooperation has intensified with growingdefense trade, joint exercises, personnel exchanges, cooper-ation in maritime security and counter piracy operations.The aggregate worth of India’s defense acquisitions (includ-ing the C-130 J-30, C-17 Globe Master III, and Poseidon 8 Iaircrafts) from the US has crossed $9 billion. There isintention to now take our defense ties to a level where wecan simplify technology transfer policies and explore possi-bilities of co-development and co-production of defensesystems.

Our strategic consultations and our dialogues coveringEast Asia, Central Asia and West Asia are also an importantaspect of our partnership. Trilateral mechanisms for dia-logue with Japan, and also with Afghanistan are additional-ly, a key feature.

As Lisa Curtis puts it in these pages, there is a strategiclogic in our ties. This is especially so when we widen thelens beyond bilateral relations to the Asian stage andbeyond.

Cooperation in counter-terrorism has seen considerableprogress with intelligence sharing and informationexchange, and the institutionalization of the HomelandSecurity Dialogue covering engagement in megacities polic-

ing, combating illicit finance, bulk cash smuggling andcounterfeiting, cyber-security and critical infrastructureprotection, port, border, maritime, transportation and sup-ply chain security, science and technology cooperation andcapacity building.

The business of diplomacy is business, as has been said.Noteworthy is the growth in trade volume, both in goodsand services between our two countries (close to 100 billion$ last year). We have set our sights on an early convening ofthe bilateral Trade Policy Forum. Negotiations on aBilateral Investment Treaty have recommenced in July thisyear. There is a fulsome discussion ongoing by both govern-ment and industry on the Indian side with US stake holdersthat highlights our concerns on any restrictions sought tobe imposed on the movement of high-skilled non-immi-grant professionals employed by Indian information tech-nology companies into the United States. We endorse theview recently expressed by five distinguished former USAmbassadors to India that there should be a “clean” immi-gration reform bill that does not include any discriminatoryprovisions that may harm US or Indian interests, andwhich supports the growth of the US-India knowledgeeconomy. Our IT and other companies whose investmentsin the US economy are significant, have generated a fewhundred thousand jobs in the US, creating livelihoods andwellbeing.

It is true that concerns are expressed in the US about thepace of reform in India. We are sensitive to these concernsbecause we value our investment ties with US businesses.India has prioritized the improvement of its investment cli-mate, and significant foreign direct investment liberaliza-tion has occurred in the past year in multi-brand retail, sin-gle-brand retail, civil aviation, telecommunications anddefense. Clearances for pending projects have been fast-tracked by a Cabinet-level empowered committee, (170projects worth US $ 30.45 billion cleared until earlyAugust, 2013), taxation issues have been addressed upfrontand clarified, including General Anti-Avoidance Rules and

transfer pricing for research and devel-opment centers. Preferential MarketAccess guidelines for private sector com-panies have been kept in abeyance inview of the concerns expressed by US-based investors.

In areas like energy, education andhealth, our partnership is robust andflourishing. Strong public-private part-nerships have been forged in solar ener-gy research, building energy research,and advanced biofuels. There have beenencouraging developments concerningopenings for shale gas exports from theUS to non-Free Trade Agreement coun-tries, from which India (with its hugeand only partially fulfilled energyrequirements) hopes to benefit.

Our Higher Education Dialogue is alsopromoting strategic institutional part-nerships, deepening collaboration inresearch and development, fosteringpartnerships in community college edu-cation, junior faculty development andempowered classrooms through onlineeducation. Sixteen joint India-USresearch projects have been awardedunder the Singh-Obama 21st CenturyKnowledge Initiative. ConsideringIndia’s “demographic dividend” of youngpeople, our cooperation in HigherEducation is a critically important pillar

of the Strategic Partnership.The cutting edge for the future of both our countries is

innovation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in ourcooperation in science and technology. And, even moreimportantly, this involves the youth of both countries. The SN Bose and Khorana fellowships for young students areexamples. The Millennium Alliance involving India’sDepartment of Science and Technology, the TradeDevelopment Board, USAID and the Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce and Industry, the India-US. S&TEndowment Fund for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, theJoint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, themonsoon desk at NOAA, collaboration in the preventionand management of Diabetes and the India-US Science &Technology Forum are forums that illustrate our innova-tions partnerships.

In the field of health, the Vaccine Action Program is aproductive collaboration and the momentum it has createdhas seen the development of a new rotavirus vaccine:ROTAVAC, the first entirely new vaccine developed withinIndia in over 100 years.

India’s relations with the US began in 1792, whenPresident George Washington commissioned Benjamin Joy,of Newburyport and Boston, to be Consul at Calcutta (as itwas then called) ‘and other ports and places on the coast ofIndia and Asia.’

Truly, our relations have endured the test of time. There iscontinuity, there is hope and promise, never denied, but tobe fully fulfilled. The two countries share more than a part-nership, they share a fellowship forged on the anvil ofshared interests, values, and concerns.

A steady, steadfast, and mature approach to the relation-ship in its present state, as well as in charting the courseforward should propel us in our journey to the future. And,we need to take a holistic view always, relating everythingto context, because uni-focal approaches cannot do justice to this unique fellowship, this sisterhood of democracies.

Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao edits this special issue of the India Abroad Magazine at theAmbassador’s residence in Washington, DC. This is for the first time in the newspaper’s 43-year-old history that we invited a Guest Editor.

PARESH GANDHI

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