JOIN US"Indeed, the expectations are high that President Obama will show his personal commitment to the relationship, accord India the kind of global positioning it aspires to and declare, in substance and in style, that this is indeed the 'defining relationship' as described by the under secretary Bill Burns," Visakha Desai, president of Asia Society said days ahead of President Obama's much awaited visit to India.
On both sides, expectations are high to elevate the relationship, she said, adding that on the Indian side, there are several reasons. "It is widely perceived that President George W Bush was personally committed to taking the relationship to a new level, as evidenced by the civil nuclear energy deal," she said.
"On the other hand, several comments by President Obama, ranging from ill-timed comments about Kashmir to a joint statement with the Chinese about China's role in maintaining stability in the South Asia region, have created more suspicion than trust," Desai said.
Desai, an eminent Indian-American, said Indians have felt that Americans have not fully understood the cultural complexities of fighting a war in Afghanistan and have relied too heavily on Pakistan. (Meaning, they have not been consulted enough).
Also, Indian economy is booming (expected to grow at nine per cent this year) and the government has allowed the rupee to rise against dollar, even though that has meant its own garment sector has suffered, she noted.
Indian companies have been investing in the US and Indians were ready to make big purchases from the Americans, especially in terms of military aircraft and equipment intended for the civil nuclear plants.
Desai said all of this is eminently achievable but it is equally important for India to show what it can and must do to deepen the dialogue and elevate the relationship to a new level.
"First of all, it is simply not enough to always demand that it needs to be assured of its nascent global power status. It needs to come to the table with ideas and agendas for its role as an Asian player and as a global player," she said.
"What it is prepared to do to develop a pan-Asia Pacific architecture as well as how it could work with the US on the globally critical issues of climate change and trade imbalance should be high on the Indian leader's agenda.
"Both India and the US will have to recognize that while there may be agreement on many of the end goals in Afghanistan or toward Iran, the two countries will differ on strategies," Desai said.
"Not surprisingly, the two partners would have to agree to disagree as good friends with deep mutual trust can do. It's time for this relationship to mature at a level where mutual respect and stronger trust can move the agenda forward even amid disagreement on some of the specifics," she said.