US woos India ahead of strategic dialogue

The first India-US strategic dialogue between minister of external affairs SM Krishna and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will be high on atmospherics but low on substance. There will be much public display of warmth, with Clinton showering lavish praise on India in an attempt to soothe frayed tempers.

Since Barack Obama took over from George Bush as US president, a perception has grown in India that Washington’s focus has shifted from New Delhi to Islamabad. While South Block realises the importance of the Pakistani military in the US fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda, it is unhappy that the US is giving in to Pakistani demands of minimising India’s presence in Afghanistan.

The strategic dialogue will help India and the US to clear the air. While Krishna will have terrorism, Pakistan and Afghanistan high on his agenda, Clinton would seek India’s views on Iran and Israel-Palestine. India is not for punitive sanctions on Iran, because it believes these ultimately hurt ordinary people.

But Washington’s wooing of India has already begun. Ahead of the Krishna-Clinton meet, US assistant secretary for south and central asian affairs Bob Blake had a web chat with reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday.

He said the Obama administration regards India as an “indispensable partner in the 21st century” and in the next two days government and business leaders will concentrate in taking relations to “the next strategic level”.

“Both India and Pakistan have important strategic interests in Pakistan,” Blake said.

The reintegration of the moderate Taliban will be an important part of the “conversation” with India.

He spoke at length of India-US cooperation in agriculture, education and clean-energy development. He hoped the draft nuclear liability bill introduced in Parliament would be approved. US companies can then take a slice of India’s lucrative nuclear market by supplying it reactors and components.

About Afghanistan, Krishna will have to ask Clinton hard questions. India wants US and Nato forces to remain in Afghanistan till al-Qaeda and Taliban forces are completely eliminated. India is afraid that political compulsions will force the US and other Western powers to leave behind an unfinished task.

Washington’s dilemma is that while it needs Pakistan to play peace broker in Afghanistan, it needs India too as a containing force against China.