Drifting along

The Biden visit draws attention to Washingtons anxieties on slowing momentum in bilateral ties

The Biden visit draws attention to Washingtons anxieties on slowing momentum in bilateral ties

The rare visit of an American vice president to India this week reflects the anxiety in Washington at the widening gap between US expectations from the bilateral partnership and New Delhis increasing inability to deliver on its promises. Joe Biden,the first US vice president to visit India in nearly three decades,said all the right things in public. But it is entirely reasonable to assume that he was quite forceful in conveying to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the US concerns about the slowing momentum in bilateral relations. President Barack Obama has often deployed Biden to address difficult challenges in US relations with key partners around the world. On top of Bidens checklist were issues of market access,a more conducive environment for American corporates,promoting an early commercial agreement between the US nuclear reactor vendors and the Indian nuclear establishment,and deepening defence cooperation.

Having invested so much in the relationship with India over the last few years,Washington does not want to give up without a serious political effort to sort out at least some of the bilateral issues that have been hanging fire for a long time. It is no secret to the world that the clock is ticking on the second term of Manmohan Singh. The announcement during Bidens visit,that the White House will host the prime minister in September,underlines the US determination to raise the level of engagement with India and make the best of the short window available before the next general elections for injecting some fresh momentum in bilateral relations.

The source of the current trouble is not Delhis lack of goodwill towards Washington. It is the pitiful state of the Delhi durbar,which seems incapable of acting even in self-interest. Delhis loss of political will and administrative authority have begun to cast a shadow,and not just on ties with the US. On the nuclear front,all of Delhis international partners,including France and Russia,are frustrated with the difficulties of finalising agreements with India. Few in the world can make sense of Indias reluctance to promote the nations defence industrialisation while spending huge sums on importing weapons. The few reforms that Delhi has attempted in recent months have been half-hearted and ineffective. Amid the current drift,the PM might be tempted to see the US visit as a political photo-op with President Obama. He must,instead,focus on wrapping up some of the outstanding agenda with the US and restore Indias rapidly diminishing international credibility.