ID :
148026
Sat, 10/30/2010 - 05:36
Auther :

Obama`s India visit to consolidate strategic ties: Experts

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Oct 29 (PTI) Hoping that Barack Obama's
landmark November visit to India would cement strategic ties
between the two countries, top US experts have said the
President should not only focus on bilateral trade relations,
but also emphasise on defence cooperation.
"It is my expectations that the President's forthcoming
visit will be an extremely successful one. It is going to be
successful where both symbols matter and where substance
matters," said noted South Asia expert, Ashley Tellis, who was
intimately involved in the negotiations on the civil nuclear
deal with India during the Bush administration.
"This President, like his predecessors understands
clearly the strategic importance of the relationship with
India," he said, adding Obama has reached the judgement that
for America's own long-term interest in Asia, a "strong and
robust partnership" with India is going to be indispensable.
This is going to be very clearly manifested throughout
the visit, Tellis asserted.
Michael Krepon, co-founder of Stimson and director of the
South Asia and Space Security programmes, said Obama's visit
will reaffirm "a strategic partnership that began to flourish
during President (Bill) Clinton's second term, which was
strengthened during the Bush administration.
"This visit clarifies that, regardless of the President
or Prime Minister and the dominant political party in
Washington and New Delhi, bilateral relations will remain
strong."
Christine Fair from the Georgetown University said that
Obama's visit will likely augur a transition from a
relationship that has enjoyed "high level nurturing" towards
one that is more stable, institutionalised and mature and less
demanding of constant attention.
"The absence of sustained high-level governmental
engagements does not and should not signal neglect; rather a
fundamental transformation of the Indo-US relationship that
has become more similar to other important countries that
engage or even partner with the United States," Fair said.
She said she does not expect a "new big idea;" rather a
consolidation of numerous ongoing initiatives and a deepening
of bilateral commitments to those efforts.
With expectations running high in India ahead of Obama's
visit, Robert Hathway, Director, Asia Programme of the Woodrow
Wilson International Centre for Scholars, said it is time to
quit looking for "breakthroughs" or "historic turning points"
during this visit.
"It's time we quit expecting that each and every meeting
between the leaders of the two countries must evoke passion
and loud declarations of undying love," he argued. PTI

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