The visit of US secretary of state John Kerry to New Delhi on Thursday for the fifth annual India-US Strategic Dialogue with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj can essentially be seen as an effort to erect the right platform for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coming visit to the United States in September — in effect, to try regain the zone of comfort that has been absent in bilateral ties for the past two years as relations began to sag after a marked upswing following the signing of the India-US civil nuclear agreement.
The “strategic dialogue” between the two countries, begun only five years ago”, was a sign of the qualitative jump in ties. But the inherent promise has not materialised. There were problems on both sides.
The Indian law on nuclear liability in the case of an accident was found to be forbidding by American companies which, unlike Russian and French companies, did not come forward to set up nuclear power generation plants here. On the US side, President Barack Obama’s focus was diverted to West Asia and elsewhere, and the supply of visas to Indian business professionals came to be hampered as a result of a tinge of nationalism in US policy. Some accommodation to address mutual concerns is obviously needed.
The way it’s meant to be, both sides seek to review and enhance bilateral relations through dialogue, and also have an ongoing productive exchange on regional and international questions with the aim of maximising areas of agreement. While the dialogue is an opportunity to discuss ties across the board, from education and agriculture to trade and investments and international security and political affairs, the joint statement issued after the talks between Ms Swaraj and Mr Kerry makes it evident that America’s key interests lie in stepping up trade and defence cooperation.
Along with Mr Kerry came US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker. US defence secretary Chuck Hagel is due to arrive later this month. Both are sensitive areas. As for trade, while the US looks for a simplification of customs procedures and larger access to Indian markets, along with other developed countries (at the WTO forum), it seeks to restrict the proportion of Indian foodgrain production that can be stockpiled to be supplied to the needy at subsidised rates. A via media is yet to be found.
On regional issues, the joint statement has not been strong enough on Pakistan. It merely urges Islamabad to work to bring perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack to justice. This is stale stuff. On the international side, India has cravenly agreed with the US to equate the violence and civilian deaths in Gaza and Israel. That is quite shocking.
