Powell signals

The visit to India of US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, denotes another marker on the long road along which the two countries have begun to travel together 8212; a process that was initiated under President Bill Clinton during his second term in office. In this changed climate, high level contacts on a frequent basis have become the norm rather than the exception. This also reflects the transformation in the world situation as well as in India8217;s own status. Ironically, both nation are now busying themselves with elections and it is fortunate that the ties between them have acquired a certain level of stability. Therefore, there is scope for optimism that any change of regime 8212; either in India or in the US or in both 8212; would not have any notable impact on the quality or strength of bilateral relations. But what both sides must ensure is that the momentum that presently marks the improvement of these ties does not get dissipated during the election year.

One of the important items on the agenda of Indo-US relations is the future progress on what has come to be known as the glide path agreement. One would have imagined that the two governments would have set up a joint task force to push forward the implementation of the issues included in the agreement rather than leave it to routine bureaucratic handling. High rates of economic development in India have also raised the expectations of a billion people for a far better quality of life than what obtains across the board. This, in turn, has energised the youth in India to look for more gainful employment opportunities. Any setback in this process could lead to unpredictable outcomes. This, rather than any other esoteric goal, is at the root of the logic of the glide path where nuclear energy for the purposes of peaceful development and high-technology commerce 8212; both of which are important to provide the critical mass for further progress.

What we need to remember is that the core interests of India and the US converge across a whole range of issues. But it would be unrealistic to believe that there will be no differences. There is a need, therefore, to ensure that divergences of perceptions, interests and policies between the two countries are also managed in a mature fashion as much as the convergences are taken forward from strength to strength. For example, unsolicited 8220;advice8221; from the US State Department on missile testing by India, when actually it was Pakistan that had tested missiles imported clandestinely, is not very helpful. Nor for that matter would equating outsourcing with the omnibus mantra of opening up the economy. In this context, Powell8217;s reassurances to India on outsourcing are most welcome.