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President Barack Obama
intends to work towards
making India a $10 trillion
economy. Hence he is
disregarding advice from
Clinton-era officials to
continue to adopt a hostile
stance towards Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Authoritative sources in
Washington say that the US
President has decided to
ensure that Modi receives
"the same warm welcome
that was extended to Manmohan Singh
in the White House". Apart from a
formal meeting in the Oval Office,
"which would be the forum for
substantive discussions and not merely a
photo-op", the Prime Minister will be
invited to a private dinner at the White
House with President Obama, according
to key sources on Capitol Hill. They point
out that Modi will be "the only world
leader attending the UN General
Assembly in mid-September to get this
level of Presidential attention", and that
"this is a clear indication that President
Obama seeks to distance his
administration from the (George W.
Bush-Hillary Clinton) legacy of seeking
to indict Narendra Modi for the 2002
Gujarat riots". This reconsideration was
first reported in The Sunday Guardian
(Obama quietly reverses Hillary's 'get
Modi' policy, 20 April 2014).
In a sense what Barack Obama is seeking
with India is similar to the approach
followed by then President Richard
Milhous Nixon in 1972 towards China,
"of seeking to make the country a strong
economic power". A senior US official
said that "the intention of President
Obama is to help India to become a $10
trillion economy", which would be five
times higher than the present level.
Another official warned that "the $6
trillion gap between Indian and Chinese
GDP is upsetting the strategic balance in
Asia, and needs to be bridged". He said
that initiatives which had been stalled by
Clinton-era officials in various
departments for so long "will now get
fast-tracked". These will include much
greater cooperation in defence, counter-
terrorism, space, education and science
& technology than was permitted by the
Clinton-heavy US administration thus
far. "Nearly 30 co-production
programmes between the US and India
are to be proposed within the year," a
senior official said, adding that "some of
these have already been suggested, but
were blocked by paralysis in decision-
making of the Manmohan Singh
government." The US has already
publicly announced that it would like
trade between the two sides to cross
$500 billion annually in a few years, up
from the present level of $100 billion.
A source on Capitol Hill claimed that
"Hillary Clinton and her folks adopted
the schoolmistress approach of telling
countries what they should do." In
contrast, he said that "President Obama
is more respectful of the choices made by
different countries, even when these do
not conform exactly to US needs." A
high-level source added that "the
intention is to work out an equal
relationship with India, which would
create a balanced power equilibrium in
Asia and moreover tap into the synergies
between US and Indian (private)
business". His assistant said that the
intent behind the new approach was to
"integrate Indian business firmly within
the global supply chain" and to
"maximise job-creating investment
rather than just financial inflows". He
pointed out that "the hostile rhetoric
(from Washington) on trade protection
that was evident in the past has been
muted, now that Modi has taken charge
and there is finally hope of a
businesslike approach towards US-India
ties".
Senior officials pointed out that
"President Obama did not wait for a
formal declaration (appointing Narendra
Modi as PM) but called him personally on
16 May as soon as the electoral verdict
was clear". He said that President Obama
"wants to make a genuine strategic
partnership with India among the most
important parts of his foreign policy
legacy, and towards that objective,
wishes to engage intensively with Prime
Minister Modi".
Disappointing those who were hoping for
a cool reception during the new Prime
Minister's first US visit in mid-
September, it is now clear that Narendra
Modi will be given a full dose of the
legendary Obama charm. "The President
has ensured that his entire team is on
the same page on the question of
welcoming and working with Prime
Minister Modi, including senior officials
such as Secretary of State John Kerry
(who were earlier adopting the Bush-
Clinton line on him)," a key source on
Capitol Hill claimed.
US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha
Biswal arrived in Delhi from Beijing on
the early morning of 7 June for meetings
with External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh
and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
She is expected to assure her Indian
interlocutors that the bitterness of the
past is now history, and that the Obama
administration seeks to engage "closely
and fully in a spirit of mutual interest
and partnership" with Team Modi.
Obama will offer a $10 trillion carrot to Modi
intends to work towards
making India a $10 trillion
economy. Hence he is
disregarding advice from
Clinton-era officials to
continue to adopt a hostile
stance towards Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Authoritative sources in
Washington say that the US
President has decided to
ensure that Modi receives
"the same warm welcome
that was extended to Manmohan Singh
in the White House". Apart from a
formal meeting in the Oval Office,
"which would be the forum for
substantive discussions and not merely a
photo-op", the Prime Minister will be
invited to a private dinner at the White
House with President Obama, according
to key sources on Capitol Hill. They point
out that Modi will be "the only world
leader attending the UN General
Assembly in mid-September to get this
level of Presidential attention", and that
"this is a clear indication that President
Obama seeks to distance his
administration from the (George W.
Bush-Hillary Clinton) legacy of seeking
to indict Narendra Modi for the 2002
Gujarat riots". This reconsideration was
first reported in The Sunday Guardian
(Obama quietly reverses Hillary's 'get
Modi' policy, 20 April 2014).
In a sense what Barack Obama is seeking
with India is similar to the approach
followed by then President Richard
Milhous Nixon in 1972 towards China,
"of seeking to make the country a strong
economic power". A senior US official
said that "the intention of President
Obama is to help India to become a $10
trillion economy", which would be five
times higher than the present level.
Another official warned that "the $6
trillion gap between Indian and Chinese
GDP is upsetting the strategic balance in
Asia, and needs to be bridged". He said
that initiatives which had been stalled by
Clinton-era officials in various
departments for so long "will now get
fast-tracked". These will include much
greater cooperation in defence, counter-
terrorism, space, education and science
& technology than was permitted by the
Clinton-heavy US administration thus
far. "Nearly 30 co-production
programmes between the US and India
are to be proposed within the year," a
senior official said, adding that "some of
these have already been suggested, but
were blocked by paralysis in decision-
making of the Manmohan Singh
government." The US has already
publicly announced that it would like
trade between the two sides to cross
$500 billion annually in a few years, up
from the present level of $100 billion.
A source on Capitol Hill claimed that
"Hillary Clinton and her folks adopted
the schoolmistress approach of telling
countries what they should do." In
contrast, he said that "President Obama
is more respectful of the choices made by
different countries, even when these do
not conform exactly to US needs." A
high-level source added that "the
intention is to work out an equal
relationship with India, which would
create a balanced power equilibrium in
Asia and moreover tap into the synergies
between US and Indian (private)
business". His assistant said that the
intent behind the new approach was to
"integrate Indian business firmly within
the global supply chain" and to
"maximise job-creating investment
rather than just financial inflows". He
pointed out that "the hostile rhetoric
(from Washington) on trade protection
that was evident in the past has been
muted, now that Modi has taken charge
and there is finally hope of a
businesslike approach towards US-India
ties".
Senior officials pointed out that
"President Obama did not wait for a
formal declaration (appointing Narendra
Modi as PM) but called him personally on
16 May as soon as the electoral verdict
was clear". He said that President Obama
"wants to make a genuine strategic
partnership with India among the most
important parts of his foreign policy
legacy, and towards that objective,
wishes to engage intensively with Prime
Minister Modi".
Disappointing those who were hoping for
a cool reception during the new Prime
Minister's first US visit in mid-
September, it is now clear that Narendra
Modi will be given a full dose of the
legendary Obama charm. "The President
has ensured that his entire team is on
the same page on the question of
welcoming and working with Prime
Minister Modi, including senior officials
such as Secretary of State John Kerry
(who were earlier adopting the Bush-
Clinton line on him)," a key source on
Capitol Hill claimed.
US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha
Biswal arrived in Delhi from Beijing on
the early morning of 7 June for meetings
with External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh
and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
She is expected to assure her Indian
interlocutors that the bitterness of the
past is now history, and that the Obama
administration seeks to engage "closely
and fully in a spirit of mutual interest
and partnership" with Team Modi.
Obama will offer a $10 trillion carrot to Modi
