Obama on India

Source: Indian Express
As a US Senator and then as a Democrat Presidential nominee, Barack Obama has brought up India in his campaign speeches, articles, interviews, at college and university gatherings, and in a letter he wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September this year.

Letter to Manmohan Singh

In a letter written during Singh’s US visit in September, Obama wrote on the Indo-US nuclear deal to say that he was pleased to vote by proxy for the agreement in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Not only did he vouch to vote in favour of the deal—he had earlier introduced a killer amendment during the debate on the Hyde Act which was withdrawn—what he said next was the most reassuring bit for the Indian government. He wrote, “If time should run out in the current Congress, I will resubmit the agreement next year as president.”

He said he strongly supported the civil nuclear cooperation because, he wrote, “I believe it will enhance our partnership and deepen our cooperation on a whole range of matters…” He then went on to list the areas of cooperation.

First, he wrote, “Our common strategic interests call for redoubling US-Indian military, intelligence, and law enforcement cooperation. The recent bombings remind us that we are both victims of terrorist attacks on our soil, and we share a common goal of defeating these forces of extremism.”

Second, he said, “We should be working hand-in-hand to tap into the creativity and dynamism of our entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists to promote development of alternative sources of clean energy,” he said.

Obama had also expressed the hope that a civil nuclear cooperation agreement can open the door to greater collaboration with India on non-proliferation issues and listed CTBT and FMCT as high priorities. “I am committed to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and will make this a central element of US nuclear weapons policy.”

While this may not be music to the ears of South Block mandarins, former Ambassador to the US, Lalit Man Singh, is optimistic since the US President-elect believes and emphasises on “multilateralism, cooperation and consultations”. Former diplomat Arundhati Ghose, however, is cautious: “Obama is still untested. What he said during his campaign speeches will not necessarily become policy.”

India-US

“The world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy are natural partners, sharing important interests and fundamental democratic values. Already, in communities across (the US), Indian Americans are lifting up our economy and creating jobs. Leading entrepreneurs, innovators, lawyers, doctors, engineers and hardworking professionals are adding to the richness and success of the American society.”