US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell resigns

[third eye]

US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell resigns | NDTV.com

In a sudden development, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell has resigned from her post, days after media speculation that she may be shipped out.

"US Ambassador to India Nancy J Powerll announced in a US Mission Town Hall meeting March 31 that she has submitted her resignation to President Obama and, as planned for some time, will retire to her home in Delaware before the end of May," an announcement in the US Embassy website said tonight.

 

[OrionHunter]

WHY? WTF happened? Was it because she met Modi and the anti Modi caucus in America didn't like it?

 

[rockstarIN]

WHY? WTF happened? Was it because she met Modi and the anti Modi caucus in America didn't like it?

Other way around. She did not report the ground situation in India about the best possible next pm and was not able to handle him well

 

[Manvantaratruti]

LOL....... and people said Dr. Devyani Khobragade episode is all but over ..................funny how these things have a way of striking you out.

Dr. Devyani is back home, but the US Ambassador to India ends up loosing her job ...........SWEEET.

She who Laughs Last, Laughs best

 

[GreenFoe]

Jon WilliamsVerified account ‏@WilliamsJon
Narendra Modi claims 1st victim even before #India's new PM: US ambassador Nancy Powell resigns. Had opposed lifting visa ban on BJP leader.

 

[Abingdonboy]

LOL....... and people said Dr. Devyani Khobragade episode is all but over ..................funny how these things have a way of striking you out.

Dr. Devyani is back home, but the US Ambassador to India ends up loosing her job ...........SWEEET.

She who Laughs Last, Laughs best

I think this has WAY more to do with Modi in all honesty. And no, I'm not one of those Modi fanboys who finds a way to relate everything back to "the great one" .

Reading this article:

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4099/25sn0v4.jpg

It seems like the US administration is "cleaning house" and putting the groundwork down for a new start vis a vis Indo-US relations. Apparently Powell was far too Anti-Modi and pro-UPA and if the USG is expecting a BJP govt led by Modi then having such an ambassador to India would only be starting on the back foot from day one.

The US looks like it is going to use the time after the new GoI comes in as a "reset button" and a chance to bring closer Indo-US ties.

Pragmatic move on the US' part I'd say...

 

[Coltsfan]

LOL....... and people said Dr. Devyani Khobragade episode is all but over ..................funny how these things have a way of striking you out.

Dr. Devyani is back home, but the US Ambassador to India ends up loosing her job ...........SWEEET.

She who Laughs Last, Laughs best

Only an imbecile would view this development as a win-lose scenario!

BTW, Nancy Powell is still free to visit India anytime she wishes, but Devyani can no longer visit USA without getting her sorry *** handcuffed again! You decide who won and who is the loser here

 

[Pakistanisage]

Nancy Powell was US Ambassador to Pakistan from 2002 to 2004. I did not find her too impressive even back then......

BTW, these Assignments last only 2 to 3 years anyway.....

Besides it is probably good for her to retire. She is 67 years old.

 

[Thorough Pro]

How her resignation relates to this event?

LOL....... and people said Dr. Devyani Khobragade episode is all but over ..................funny how these things have a way of striking you out.

Dr. Devyani is back home, but the US Ambassador to India ends up loosing her job ...........SWEEET.

She who Laughs Last, Laughs best

 

[Pakistanisage]

I think this has WAY more to do with Modi in all honesty. And no, I'm not one of those Modi fanboys who finds a way to relate everything back to "the great one" .

Reading this article:

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4099/25sn0v4.jpg

It seems like the US administration is "cleaning house" and putting the groundwork down for a new start vis a vis Indo-US relations. Apparently Powell was far too Anti-Modi and pro-UPA and if the USG is expecting a BJP govt led by Modi then having such an ambassador to India would only be starting on the back foot from day one.

The US looks like it is going to use the time after the new GoI comes in as a "reset button" and a chance to bring closer Indo-US ties.

Pragmatic move on the US' part I'd say...

It has a lot to do with khobragade case as well as Modi.



U.S. ambassador to India Nancy Powell resigns after diplomatic row| Reuters


(Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to India has resigned following a row over the arrest of a junior Indian diplomat in New York that pushed relations between the world's biggest democracies to their lowest ebb in more than a decade.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf denied on Monday that Nancy Powell's resignation was related to ongoing tensions after the December arrest and subsequent strip search of the Indian diplomat, Devyani Khobragade.

But analysts said it was clear the position of Powell, a career diplomat who has held several postings in South Asia and became the ambassador to India in 2012, had become untenable as a result of the affair.

The United States sees India as a natural ally on a range of issues and a potential counterbalance to China in Asia. In 2010, President Barack Obama declared that the U.S.-Indian relationship would be "one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century."

Trade in goods was $63.7 billion last year, and U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden last year called for that to grow to half a trillion dollars in five years.

But trade relations were deteriorating even before the diplomatic row and in India's eyes, Powell's tenure never recovered from Khobragade's treatment. India took retaliatory measures against the U.S. embassy, including removing the ambassador's exemption from airport security searches.

Many Indian officials felt Powell had mishandled the case, which was related to the low wages that Khobragade paid a domestic worker. Both the Indian government and Narendra Modi, the opposition candidate who is favourite to become India's next prime minister after elections that end in May, saw the arrest as U.S. hypocrisy and arrogance.

In response, India clamped down on alleged legal infractions by the embassy, including the visa status of teachers at the American Embassy School, an institution central to the lives of many expatriate employees of U.S. corporations in Delhi.

Powell met Modi in February. The meeting ended a decade-long U.S. boycott of Modi and brought Washington's policy in line with other major powers that had shunned him because of deadly religious riots that occurred on his watch, but have now warmed to a man who has overseen fast economic growth in his home state of Gujarat.

NOT GETTING MEETINGS

Powell's meeting with Modi was delayed by two months because of the row over Khobragade, an aide to the candidate told Reuters. A U.S. congressional aide said this was a problem Powell had faced in dealing with other officials as well.

"I had heard she wasn't really getting meetings with government officials after Khobragade. And that's an important part of the job. My sense is that would likely only continue with a new government," said the aide, who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

However, Harf told a regular State Department briefing: "It is in no way related to any tension, any recent situations ... This is the end of a distinguished 37-year career. I think after 37 years, she deserves to retire."

After Khobragade's arrest, officials in New Delhi said India had bristled at Powell as soon as she was appointed in 2012, since she was not seen as a political appointee close to Obama, despite her decades of knowledge of South Asia.

In a conversation with Reuters in January, one official close to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Powell as a "lemon" - a comment reflecting concerns in India that Obama was not serious about the relationship.

Persis Khambatta of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank said it was clear Washington had underestimated the depth of feeling in India over the Khobragade affair.

Khambatta said it was important for the United States to replace Powell in a timely manner with "a heavy-hitter" to show it considered India a real strategic partner.

"If India is to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, we should send out diplomats that send that signal and carry that influence and gravitas that are needed."

In spite of the diplomatic tensions, a Pew Research poll issued on Monday based on polling conducted in December and January found that most Indians had a positive view of America.

"Notwithstanding recent high-profile official frictions with the United States, more Indians express a favorable (56 percent) rather than unfavorable (15 percent) view of America. And 58 percent have a positive view of the American people," the polling group said in a statement.

It said it conducted its survey between December 7 and January 12, among 2,464 adults in states and territories that are home to about 91 percent of the Indian population.

Harf said Powell would return to the United States before the end of May, which is the deadline for a new Indian government to be formed.

The United States revoked Modi's travel visa following allegations he did not do enough to prevent at least 1,000 deaths during a spasm of Hindu-Muslim violence in 2002 in the state that he governs.

Modi has not yet been granted a visa, but Nisha Biswal, the U.S. assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs, has said he would be welcome to visit the United States if he became prime minister.

(Reporting by Frank Jack Daniel in New Delhi and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Additional reporting by Shashank Chouhan in New Delhi; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Mohammad Zargham)

 

[Hulk]

Only an imbecile would view this development as a win-lose scenario!

BTW, Nancy Powell is still free to visit India anytime she wishes, but Devyani can no longer visit USA without getting her sorry *** handcuffed again! You decide who won and who is the loser here

As far as Devyani is concerned, she is on wrong side. However, she got lucky by aressting her. Had she was not arrested, US would be better. I do not like her one bit, few items that concerns me.
1) Married a US citizen, I think ss a IFS this can lead to conflict of interest. Also, she has committed to one country. This is what made the situation more complex, else it was easy to just come out of US.
2) Adarsh scam and her other record is not rosy either.
3) Tried to use power to supress the maid.

 

[Star Wars]

As far as Devyani is concerned, she is on wrong side. However, she got lucky by aressting her. Had she was not arrested, US would be better. I do not like her one bit, few items that concerns me.
1) Married a US citizen, I think ss a IFS this can lead to conflict of interest. Also, she has committed to one country. This is what made the situation more complex, else it was easy to just come out of US.
2) Adarsh scam and her other record is not rosy either.
3) Tried to use power to supress the maid.

You are on the wrong side almost everywhere

1.Whom she marries is none of out business and she married an American Indian
2.She was clearly not on the wrong side , its was the Americans on the wrong side , you clearly haven't gone through the details... Am too tired and lazy to make a lengthly reply
3. Its clearly Absurd and stupid that you sey she tried to suppress the Maid which is clearly wrong... Its the Maid who should be arrested .because the whole event was a CIA job , that is crystal clear..

if your going to tell me this is a conspiracy theory i assure you ill directly put you on ignore list...

Only an imbecile would view this development as a win-lose scenario!

BTW, Nancy Powell is still free to visit India anytime she wishes, but Devyani can no longer visit USA without getting her sorry *** handcuffed again! You decide who won and who is the loser here

Clearly you do not seem to have the courtesy to have a proper conversation without starting and ending your sentences with insults ....Mods will deal with it as i have reported you... Devyani got home scott free despite charged while an Ambassador had her privileges removed entirely.. am quiet tired of American Apologists.

Papers given to US to prove Devyani’s innocence - Economic Times

now what ......economic Times is an Indian conspiracy to defame US ?

 

[Manvantaratruti]

I think this has WAY more to do with Modi in all honesty. And no, I'm not one of those Modi fanboys who finds a way to relate everything back to "the great one" .

Stop embarrassing yourself by demonstrating poor comprehension and stop wasting others time. I have mentioned Dr. Devyani ......... but turns out it is YOU who has dragged in Modi

Only an imbecile would view this development as a win-lose scenario!

BTW, Nancy Powell is still free to visit India anytime she wishes, but Devyani can no longer visit USA without getting her sorry *** handcuffed again! You decide who won and who is the loser here

Only a retard would view this as a USA win !!! LOL

The US is forced to kick out its Ambassador to India demonstrating the screw up that has happened from the US side and as such is an admission of guilt and failure.

Dr. Devyani OTOH has joined back the External Affairs Ministery and will be promoted to better things and will continue to visit the USA with FULL Diplomatic rights and there is nothing the US can do about it

Want to bet Dr. Devyani will visit the USA again ? ...............last I heard she has joined the UN mission as Indian rep

 

[Hulk]

You are on the wrong side almost everywhere

1.Whom she marries is none of out business and she married an American Indian
2.She was clearly not on the wrong side , its was the Americans on the wrong side , you clearly haven't gone through the details... Am too tired and lazy to make a lengthly reply
3. Its clearly Absurd and stupid that you sey she tried to suppress the Maid which is clearly wrong... Its the Maid who should be arrested .because the whole event was a CIA job , that is crystal clear..

if your going to tell me this is a conspiracy theory i assure you ill directly put you on ignore list...



Clearly you do not seem to have the courtesy to have a proper conversation without starting and ending your sentences with insults ....Mods will deal with it as i have reported you... Devyani got home scott free despite charged while an Ambassador had her privileges removed entirely.. am quiet tired of American Apologists.

Papers given to US to prove Devyani’s innocence - Economic Times

now what ......economic Times is an Indian conspiracy to defame US ?

Point 1 is important if you are working as IFS where half of your family is more loyal to US citizen. her kids have US and Indian passport which was an issue.
-- She lied in Adarsh
-- She applied for 2 passports for kids which is illegal
-- She Married to US citizen which makes her job in direct conflict of interest. (It matters in IFS job, you cannot have your IFS marrying to a Pakistani in Pakistan right, they will lose the job)

There are other points where US is wrong but she is a 3rd class person in my opinion.

I think I am heading a @VCheng route soon. Unfortunately stupid nationalism is not correct. Some people have ego, how dare you did this and that and totally forgetting she does not have good character.

I support some of the things we did, like withdrawing facilities they were not offering. Like passes at Airport etc. However to stop a guard who helps crossing kids to attend the school is insanity. (Please answer this point.)

 

[VCheng]

Point 1 is important if you are working as IFS where half of your family is more loyal to US citizen. her kids have US and Indian passport which was an issue.
-- She lied in Adarsh
-- She applied for 2 passports for kids which is illegal
-- She Married to US citizen which makes her job in direct conflict of interest. (It matters in IFS job, you cannot have your IFS marrying to a Pakistani in Pakistan right, they will lose the job)

There are other points where US is wrong but she is a 3rd class person in my opinion.

I think I am heading a @VCheng route soon. Unfortunately stupid nationalism is not correct. Some people have ego, how dare you did this and that and totally forgetting she does not have good character.

I support some of the things we did, like withdrawing facilities they were not offering. Like passes at Airport etc. However to stop a guard who helps crossing kids to attend the school is insanity. (Please answer this point.)

National attitudes towards the rule of law are different, no doubt, but then again, international diplomacy requires a way forward. It will be found, surely. Both India and USA have too much at stake to let this one incident spoil an important relationship.