Barack Obama has been criticised for kowtowing to the Chinese and the Russians over the last few months. But so far, this is all about atmospherics. The administration has not made any unilateral concession of substance to either country. It is taking a strategic view that developing strong relationships with both countries, particularly China, will yield long-term benefits. Strangely, however, that strategic focus has been lost in dealing with Asia’s other rising giant, India.
At one level the administration is being friendly. India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh comes to Washington this week for the first official state visit of the Obama presidency. There will be nice words said in public about the ties between the two great democracies. But underneath this lies an unease.
Indian officials worry that the Obama team does not have the same fundamental orientation as the Bush administration regarding India’s role in the 21st century. Some Obama officials publicly criticised the nuclear deal championed by George W. Bush, a deal that the Indians regard as basic recognition of their status as a major power. They worry that a Democratic administration could succumb to protectionism. They worry that it is too cozy with China.
These concerns will pass as the two sides get to know each other better. The more lasting danger is that the Obama administration, now intensely focused on the war in Afghanistan, will look at South Asia largely through that prism. Since Washington desperately needs Pakistan’s cooperation in that conflict, it is tending to adopt Pakistan’s concerns as its own, which is producing a perverse view of the region.
Categories : 
5:40 AM
Moderate Islamist here
0 comments:
Post a Comment