India US Relations

[prohumanity]

India-US relationship is marred by two things -> 1. Indian desire for independent status rather than joining blocs; 2. USA's natural distrust of non-European nations.

I would think slow and steady is better strategy for USA-India relationship.

I agree . US does not have habit of treating other nations as equal and India does not have habit of being subservient to other nations. That's the problem. So, I don't think India-US will become really close militarily in near future. BJP govt. is big on "strategic autonomy" and won't be a junior partner /pawn to US designs in Pacific /South China sea region. However, in areas of mutual interest such as Islamic terrorism, pandemic diseases etc..India-US cooperation will become much greater in coming decade. Paki suits US style and expectations as it is good at licking...you know what?

 

[pmaitra]

I agree . US does not have habit of treating other nations as equal and India does not have habit of being subservient to other nations. That's the problem. So, I don't think India-US will become really close militarily in near future. BJP govt. is big on "strategic autonomy" and won't be a junior partner /pawn to US designs in Pacific /South China sea region.

I agree completely.

However, in areas of mutual interest such as Islamic terrorism, pandemic diseases etc..India-US cooperation will become much greater in coming decade. Paki suits US style and expectations as it is good at licking...you know what?

Here is my take.

There will be no end to Islamic terrorism as long as US is allied with Saudi Arabia, and the US will be allied with Saudi Arabia, as long as they have oil.

The US might be fighting against the head-chopping ISIS, but they are allied with the head-chopping Saudis.

You can never tell when the US will be with you, and when against you.

• Look at Ukraine. There was a time when American soldiers died fighting the Nazis, and today an American official feeds cookies to the Nazis.
• Look at Osama bin Laden. Once he was an Afghan Freedom Fighter, and later, he became an Arab Terrorist.
• Look at Iran and Iraq. The US first supported Iraq against Iran, and then turned against Iraq.
• Or look at India. The US supported India in 1962 and stood against PRC, and almost invaded India in 1972 and allied with PRC.

Every few years, US Foreign Policy makes a U-turn. The bottom-line is - the US can never be trusted, and India knows this.

 

[prohumanity]

Good analysis. US can change quickly as soon as it finds what is profitable . There is no shame ...only narrow self interest. Created Osama and Taliban when suited it's interest...destroyed nations like Iraq,Libya, Syria, Ukraine when it suited its self interest..Iran's Shah was a budddy ,then, Saddam was a buddy, Hosny Mubarak was a buddy, Musharraf was a buddy....can make friendship with devil.....nothing based on principles or humanitarian values. The scariest thing is that US rulers have no empathy for others...they can ignore rivers of blood in the dream of oil and profits. Sometimes, I wonder..Is all this chaos in the World created by West is deliberate to keep hegemony going. It's sad that world's most powerful nation is so greedy and selfish...rather than helping rest of the humanity it is shedding their blood by pitting nations against nations, ethnic groups against each other.
Average Americans are stunned as they have no power and are frightened as they fear their govt. may be monitoring what they talk on phone, what they read online etc. The rulers have trampled US constitution...they destroyed freedom of expression and privacy.
May be its the final phase of hegemony and suppression...it is said..that when darkness is intense, morning is near....Do you hear the footsteps of a multi-polar world order where no single country can unjustly destroy other countries for its narrow, selfish goals.

 

[Free Karma]

Not sure if posted earlier, but Modi's note in the visitors book at the whitehouse:

Really nice handwriting! Plus I like that he signs in hindi.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

India moves to fast-track US investment ahead of Obama visit - Fortune

 

[sorcerer]

Prime Minister's Media Statement during Joint Press Interaction with President of United States of America


Mr. President and members of the media,

It is a great pleasure and privilege to welcome back President Obama and the First Lady in India.

Mr. President, we are honoured that you accepted our invitation to be the Chief Guest for our Republic Day and I know how busy you are.

It is special because on this day we celebrate the values shared by the world`s two largest democracies.

You are also the first United States President to visit India twice in Office.

It reflects the transformation in our relationship. It shows your deep personal commitment to this partnership.

It tells us that our two nations are prepared to step forward firmly to accept the responsibility of this global partnership – for our two countries and for shaping the character of this century.

The promise and potential of this relationship has never been in doubt. This is a natural global partnership. It has become even more relevant in the digital age. It is needed even more in our world of far-reaching changes and widespread turmoil.

The success of this partnership is important for our progress and for advancing peace, stability and prosperity around the world.

From the turn of this century, we have begun transforming our relationship. But, we have to convert a good start into lasting progress.

This requires translating our vision into sustained action and concrete achievements.

Mr. President, in the last few months, I see new excitement and confidence in this relationship. I see renewed energy in our engagement. I thank you for your leadership and for setting the tone last September, when I visited White House.

The civil nuclear agreement was the centrepiece of our transformed relationship, which demonstrated new trust. It also created new economic opportunities and expanded our option for clean energy. In the course of the past four months, we have worked with a sense of purpose to move it forward. I am pleased that six years after we signed our bilateral agreement, we are moving towards commercial cooperation, consistent with our law, our international legal obligations, and technical and commercial viability.

President Obama has also assured me of strong U.S. efforts in support of India`s full membership of the four international export control regimes at the earliest.

Today, we have also decided to take our growing defence cooperation to a new level. We have agreed, in principle, to pursue co-development and co-production of specific advanced defence projects. These will help upgrade our domestic defence industry; and expand the manufacturing sector in India.

We will also explore cooperation in other areas of advanced defence technologies.

We have renewed our Defence Framework Agreement. We will deepen our cooperation on maritime security.

Terrorism remains a principal global threat. It is taking on a new character, even as existing challenges persist. We agreed that we need a comprehensive global strategy and approach to combat with it. There should be no distinction between terrorist groups. Every country must fulfil its commitments to eliminate terrorist safe havens and bring terrorists to justice.

Our two countries will deepen our bilateral security cooperation against terrorist groups. And, we will further enhance our counter-terrorism capabilities, including in the area of technology.

President Obama and I agree that a strong and growing economic relationship is vital for the success of our strategic partnership. Economic growth in our two countries is becoming stronger. Our business climate is improving. This gives me great optimism about our economic ties.

In addition, we have established a number of effective bilateral mechanisms to identify opportunities and also help our businesses trade and invest more.

will also resume our dialogue on Bilateral Investment Treaty. We will also restart discussions on a Social Security Agreement that is so important for the hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals working in the United States.

For President Obama and me, clean and renewable energy is a personal and national priority. We discussed our ambitious national efforts and goals to increase the use of clean and renewable energy. We also agreed to further enhance our excellent and innovative partnership in this area. I asked him to lead international efforts in making renewable energy more accessible and affordable to the world. President and I expressed hope for a successful Paris Conference on climate change this year.

We will continue to deepen our collaboration in science, technology, innovation, agriculture, health, education and skills. These are central to the future of our two countries; and also give us an opportunity to help others around the world.

Indeed, our strategic partnership will only be complete if we assume our responsibility to work together to promote development and connectivity in our vast region. President Obama and I agreed to pursue this goal with a sense of priority.

President and I had an excellent discussion on global and regional issues. In particular, we renewed our commitment to deepen our cooperation to advance peace, stability, prosperity in Asia, Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, which is critical for the future of our two countries and the destiny of this world. We will also work closely to help Afghanistan through its transition.

Our relationship stands at a new level today. We have outlined a broad vision for our friendship and cooperation that reflects the opportunities and challenges of this century. As Lord Buddha said, noble friends and companions are the whole of the holy life.

We have decided to give this critical partnership a new thrust and sustained attention. For this, we have agreed that India and the United States must have regular summits at greater frequency. And, we will also establish hotlines between myself and Barack and our National Security Advisors.

At the beginning of this year we start a new journey.

Let me welcome you once again, Mr. President. It is a great pleasure to have you with us.

Thank you.

Press Information Bureau English Releases

 

[sorcerer]

India, U.S. sign three MoUs on smart cities


The U.S. has agreed to partner with Indian in developing three smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer, and Visakhapatnam.

India and United States signed three Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) on Sunday to give a boost to the Centre's flagship 'smart cities' scheme.

The U.S. has agreed to partner with Indian in developing three smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer, and Visakhapatnam.

Three MoUs were signed by the representatives of United States Trade and Development Agency and the respective Chief Secretaries of State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh in the presence of Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.

As per the pacts, the U.S. will assist the cities in project planning, infrastructure development, feasibility studies and capacity building.

The State Governments for their part will provide resources like technical information and data related to smart cities planning; staff, logistical and travel support and budgetary resources.

India, U.S. sign three MoUs on smart cities - The Hindu

 

[sorcerer]

Obama, Modi achieve breakthrough on N-deal[/SIZE]

India and the U.S. reach understanding on the contentious civil nuclear liability issue.

India and the U.S. on Sunday reached a breakthrough on the stalled civil nuclear agreement by agreeing on commercial cooperation and decided to take defence cooperation to a new level including on upgrading domestic defence industry and advanced technologies.

The contours of the operationalisation of the nuclear deal, which has been in limbo for the last more than six years, were not immediately available, although President Barack Obama described it as a "breakthrough".

The deal on nuclear cooperation and other areas was clinched between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Obama after discussions spread over three hours at the delegation level as well as one-on-one chat besides a tete-a-tete on the lawns of the Hyderabad House reflecting the warm personal chemistry between the two leaders.

In his opening remarks at the joint media interaction, Mr. Modi disclosed that on the nuclear deal the two countries "are moving towards commercial cooperation, consistent with our law, our international obligations and technical and commercial viability."

At the outset, both the leaders said they were committed to deepening relations between the two countries and the fact that Mr. Obama is the first U.S. President to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations and also the first to visit India twice were signs of the growing relations.

"In the last few months, I see new excitement and confidence in this relationship. I see renewed energy in our engagement. I thank you for your leadership and for setting the tone last September.

"The civil nuclear agreement was the centrepiece of our transformed relationship, which demonstrated new trust. It also created new economic opportunities and expanded our option for clean energy.

"In the course of the past four months, we have worked with a sense of purpose to move it forward. I am pleased that six years after we signed our bilateral agreement, we are moving towards commercial cooperation, consistent with our law, our international legal obligations, and technical and commercial viability," Mr. Modi said.

It was not known how the two countries have overcome the issues of liability clause in the Civil Nuclear Damage Law over which the U.S. reactor manufacturers have serious reservations.

The U.S. is also believed to insisting on tracking fuel supplies, even from third countries, to the reactors their suppliers will be building in India. New Delhi is said to be opposing such a condition as being intrusive and would subject itself only to IAEA safeguards.

On the insurance liability clause, India has been telling the U.S. that it will build a pool that will indemnify American reactor builders against liability in case of an accident.

"Today, we achieved a breakthrough on two issues that were holding up our ability to advance our civil nuclear cooperation and we are committed to moving towards full implementation," Mr. Obama said in his remarks.

"This is an important step that shows how we can work together to elevate our relationship," he said.

Mr. Modi said Mr. Obama has also assured him of strong US efforts in support of India's full membership of the four international export control regimes at the earliest.

"Today, we have also decided to take our growing defence cooperation to a new level. We have agreed, in principle, to pursue co-development and co-production of specific advanced defence projects.

"These will help upgrade our domestic defence industry; and expand the manufacturing sector in India. We will also explore cooperation in other areas of advanced defence technologies," he said.

On terrorism, the Prime Minister said it remains a principal global threat taking on a new character even as existing challenges persist.

"We agreed that we need a comprehensive global strategy and approach to combat with it. There should be no distinction between the terrorist groups. Every country must fulfil its commitments to eliminate terrorists safe havens and bring terrorists to justice," he said.

Mr. Modi said the two countries will deepen their bilateral security cooperation against terrorist groups and further enhance counter-terrorism capabilities including in the area of technology.

Touching on regional cooperation, Mr. Modi said the two countries renewed their commitment to deepen cooperation to advance peace, stability, prosperity in Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region which is critical for the future of the two countries and the world.

Mr. Modi said they also discussed working on how to help in the transformation of Afghanistan, apparently after complete withdrawal of the U.S. troops.

Mr. Obama said both the countries are going to be strong and reliable partners for people of Afghanistan.

The two leaders said they have decided to scale up their economic relationship including holding talks in future on a bilateral investment treaty.

Mr. Modi said India and the U.S. will also restart discussions on a social security agreement which is important for the hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals working in the U.S.

India-U.S. civil nuclear deal is done - The Hindu

======

Nuclear liability managed through common insurance pool.!!

 

[LETHALFORCE]

U.S.-India Joint Statement साँझा प्रयास - सबका विकास" – "Shared Effort; Progress for All" | The White House

 

[prohumanity]

If the goal of Friendship with India is to contain China or destroy Russia ....by using India as a pawn....I can safely safe....it's not going to work as BJP leaders are not only mature and experienced ..they are also, very familiar with western trick of using nation against nation for their own benefit.
Modi declared during his election that "He will never let India be sold....and he will never let India to be enslaved" Modi, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj are patriotic people ...I trust their loyalty to India. Don't believe false propaganda against current Indian Leadership.
If US wants to trade with India without hurting "strategic autonomy" of India....the friendship has a great future.

 

[Upsc Ias]

India-U.S. BIT: not a done deal yet
India is revising the model draft agreement of its existing bilateral investment treaties. Some of the new clauses are unlikely to be accepted by either U.S. negotiators or U.S. corporations without substantial dilution

U.S. President Barack Obama's second visit to India has resurrected hopes that the two countries will revive talks on the dormant but in-progress Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). A BIT is being eagerly sought by both sides—from the U.S., to provide comfort to American companies that they will not be treated unfairly, and from India in the belief that it will help increase foreign investment inflows into India.

But negotiating the many tripwires of the BIT will take time and effort. It may therefore be wise to rein in the optimism that is usually generated by high-profile state visits and the associated optics. More so because every significant India-U.S. bilateral visit in recent times—by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington DC in September 2014, by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to India in June 2014 and January 2015, and by U.S. Trade representative Michael Froman in November 2014—has rekindled expectations about the abandoned BIT.

Talks on a BIT between the two countries have been on hold since February 2014. [1] Preparations to restart the conversation resumed in the backrooms soon after Modi's swearing-in on 26 May 2014. Kerry discussed the pending BIT agreement with Modi on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit earlier in January. Diane Farrell, acting president of the U.S. Indian Business Council, confirmed this in a press statement. [2]

However, many hurdles will have to be cleared before any real progress can be made on the BIT. One of the obstacles is that India's own BIT regime—the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA)—is in cold storage. India is currently reviewing the draft of the existing model agreement and is yet to produce a blueprint that is acceptable to all stakeholders, including different ministries (such as Finance, Commerce, Law and External Affairs). India has signed 83 BIPPAs since 1994 and enforced 72 of these agreements.

The existing text has been under review since early 2013 because many international companies have initiated overseas arbitration against the Indian government—17 new arbitration proceedings over issues as varied as Supreme Court's cancellation of 2G licences and retrospective taxation notices were filed in the past two years alone. The companies which have sued the Indian government include Deutsche Telecom, Vodafone, and White Industries, under India's BIPPAs with Germany, The Netherlands, and Australia, respectively.

Another speed-breaker is conflict within the government. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP, in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry) is opposed to BIPPAs in general [3, 4]. The DIPP is responsible for framing India's foreign direct investment (FDI) strategy, as well as promoting, approving, and facilitating FDI. The DIPP believes that a conducive economic and legal environment is sufficient to attract foreign investments. It also believes that the existing BIPPAs are likely to result in increased lawsuits and has suggested that the sunset clause in these agreements be invoked to annul them. On the other hand, India's finance and external affairs ministries are both in favour of an overhaul of the existing template, which will then have to be applied to all existing 83 agreements.

The conflict also arises from the government's duality in matters of foreign investment—while the DIPP is responsible for FDI, the Ministry of Finance is responsible for administering the BIPPAs.

Talks could face headwinds due to certain new clauses in the draft model agreement. There is a proposal to dilute the "investor-state dispute settlement" (ISDS) system. Unlike the existing contract, henceforth foreign investors will not be able to take the Indian government to international arbitration unless they have first exhausted all legal and administrative options within India.

Clearly, this is a reaction to the spate of offshore arbitration proceedings. It is likely that this defensive move was inspired by external developments. Brazil has eschewed ISDS and South Africa is likely to follow. Australia is under pressure from its civil society to drop ISDS from all its agreements (especially the one with U.S.) and not from a select few, as is the case currently.[5]

The entire ecosystem of perverse incentives built around the international arbitration system could have also compelled the Indian government to dilute ISDS—armies of highly-paid, ambulance-chasing lawyers who have created an entire business model out of arbitrations and arbitrators who keep dragging cases on because they get paid handsomely by the hour—all operating in a highly secretive system. [6] The reworked BIPPA draft tries to ensure a transparent arbitration system by stipulating certain conditions.

But a BIT bereft of ISDS is bound to be opposed by American negotiators and potential U.S. investors. The popular narrative has portrayed the Indian judicial system as slow and inefficient. Indian authorities, on the other hand, are wary of biases in the overseas arbitration tribunals. Achieving a consensus between India and the U.S. on this count is going to be tricky, but India seems to have global precedent set by Brazil, Australia and South Africa in its favour.

A deal-breaker could be intellectual property rights (IPR), a vexed issue on both sides. The U.S.'s private sector has been persistently lobbying with its government for extracting concessions from India, with the National Association of Manufacturers even pushing the U.S. Trade Representative to label India as a "priority foreign country", an epithet reserved for the worst IPR offenders.

India's counter-argument has been that its IPR regime is compliant with the World Trade Organisation's TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) multilateral agreement, and it considers the U.S.'s Special 301 report—an annual publication from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) identifying trade barriers to U.S. companies and countries which do not provide "adequate and effective" protection of intellectual property rights—unilateral.

Several other prickly issues could sabotage talks—a proposal to drop the most favoured nation status from the agreement, re-phrased expropriation clauses, and re-worded text that ensures that the BIT/BIPPA does not end up favouring foreign investors while discomfiting domestic ones.

Negotiations are all about give-and-take, ceding some strategic space while appropriating critical concessions. This is, admittedly, a time-consuming process. A lot will, however, depend on American corporations and their attitude to doing business in one of the world's biggest and fastest growing markets in the world.

from - gatewayhouse

 

[Upsc Ias]

Inside India: Non-Aligned No More, India Comes Out — As Friend of U.S.



India finally came out this week after years in the closet, declaring itself a firm friend of America.

The country's Cold War commitment to non-alignment died long ago as the guiding foreign-policy principle for the world's second-most-populous nation. But its obituary wasn't written until this week.

Until recently, Indian leaders didn't want to be seen as too close to Washington, fearful of being lacerated as stooges of the world's most powerful country.

"If Manmohan Singh had hugged Obama, people would have called him names," says Harsh Pant, a professor of international relations at King's College in London. "It is very difficult in Indian politics to be seen as openly embracing America."

But Prime Minister Modi not only was seen embracing President Obama over and over, Mr. Modi also grabbed the American president's hand, seeming reluctant to let it go.

"It used to happen behind closed doors. They've come out of the closet," Mr. Pant says.

"It is a remarkable change," says Naresh Chandra, Indian ambassador to the U.S. from 1996 to 2001 "We have finally shed our hypocritical stance on the U.S. and are not worried about what the guy standing next to us is saying."

How did this happen?

Critics will continue to debate the significance of progress – on civil-nuclear projects, defense cooperation, trade and other issues — that the two leaders announced during U.S. President Obama's three-day visit here, before departing Tuesday.

More In Obama-Visit
Pakistan's Pointed Reaction to Obama's Visit
Obama Visit: India's Media Verdict
What India Wants to Know From Obama
The Woman Who Introduced Obama
Obama's Warning to India on Religious Divisions
Mr. Obama also promised $4 billion in investments, and the two leaders signaled they had made progress on fighting global warming and terrorism. Mr. Obama declared his support for India's long-held desire to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

But more significant than the specifics of what happens on any of these issues is the potential for future partnerships signified by the quantum leap of trust evidenced by these two leaders openly declaring themselves as friends.

This new amity is getting a lot of impetus from the two nations' converging strategic interests. China's more assertive posturing on the global stage is helping drive India and the U.S. together. Washington and New Delhi are wary of China's rising naval presence in the Indian Ocean. And India continues to have territorial disputes with China that erupted last year with pushing and shouting near a Himalayan village along the border.


President Obama gives a speech in New Delhi on Jan. 27. Associated Press
Regardless, "The potential that this trust provides in expanding the business relationship is of enormous importance," says Sudheendra Kulkarni, a one-time top adviser to former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and now head of a New Delhi think tank.

The trust that characterized Mr. Obama's visit makes Indians finally feel "that the U.S. is understanding us," Mr. Kulkarni said.

In this new environment, negotiations that used to begin from the assumption of disagreement will now "start with the presumption of approval," says Mr. Chandra, who spent decades negotiating on India's behalf with the U.S.

In 1992, he flew to Washington to begin the dialogue on the civilian-nuclear agreement on behalf of the late Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. Mr. Chandra says U.S. officials at first didn't take the overture seriously.

"Things that appeared nearly impossible back then have been accomplished today," Mr. Chandra said.

The new relationship is possible, in part, because India has become important to the U.S. as Europe's economic power has diminished and Asia's has risen. The bridges for the two countries to forge close ties were cemented by the friendship between the people, cultivated during the vast Indian immigration and, "the virtual march of Indian youth to universities in America," says Rajiv Dogra, the retired Indian diplomat and author of "Where Borders Bleed," about Pakistan's challenges.

As India's confidence has grown, so has its readiness to become friends with America, he says.

In its early days after emerging from British colonialism, India was still excruciatingly poor. "Our fear was becoming a Banana Republic to the U.S. Now we have the confidence of being a mature economy ready to move to the next level," he says.

"That's a level of self-confidence that allows Mr. Modi to do what previous generations could not do," he says.

Mr. Obama was ready first to take the relationship to a new level when he organized a big White House dinner for the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009. But Mr. Singh didn't have the power within his government to change the course of Indian foreign policy.

Mr. Modi not only has the political capital, given his huge election win, but he's philosophically unfettered by ties to India's non-aligned past, notes Mr. Pant.

He calls the friendship on display during Mr. Obama's visit, "a transformative moment in the politics of these two countries."

Geeta Anand is a senior writer for The Wall Street Journal based in Mumbai and author of "The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million and Bucked the Medical Establishment in a Quest to Save His Children."


Sources - WSJ

 

[ezsasa]

White House Labels Taliban 'Armed Insurgency,' Not Terrorists

The White House is drawing a sharp distinction between Afghanistan's Taliban and the Islamic State — describing the Taliban as an "armed insurgency."

Asked about a Jordanian plan to swap a would-be suicide bomber for a Jordanian pilot being held by Islamic State militants, the White House reiterated the longstanding policy of the U.S. to refuse negotiations with terrorists.

"Our policy is that we don't pay ransom, that we don't give concessions to terrorist organizations," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Wednesday. "This is a longstanding policy that predates this administration and it's also one that we communicated to our friends and allies across the world," he added.

But the U.S. engaged in a similar prisoner swap with Afghanistan's Taliban last year, releasing several Guantanamo Bay prisoners in exchange for the freedom of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Mr. Bergdahl had been held by the Taliban as a prisoner since 2009 until his release last year as part of a prisoner swap.

The White House said the situation was different because Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is a terrorist group operating in Syria and Iraq while the Taliban is not, in the administration's thinking.

"The Taliban is an armed insurgency, ISIL is a terrorist group. We don't make concessions to terrorist groups," Mr. Schultz said.

Asked directly if the White House considered the Taliban a terrorist group, Mr. Schultz repeated the line that they are an armed insurgency and said that the swap for Mr. Bergdahl was part of the "winding down of the war in Afghanistan."

The Taliban was the ruling government of Afghanistan before being ousted by U.S. forces in late 2001 over the government's refusal to hand over members of al Qaeda who were believed to be complicit in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

Since then, the Taliban has emerged as an insurgent force with bases of power in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan that continues to attack U.S. forces, Afghan government forces and civilians in both countries. In December, Taliban militants staged an attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, where 145 people were killed, mostly children.

The United States does not list the Taliban on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list run by the State Department, but it has listed the group on a separate Specially Designated Global Terrorist list since 2002. And the National Counterterrorism Center lists the "Taliban Presence in Afghanistan" on a map of global terrorism presences.

link: blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/28/white-house-labels-taliban-armed-insurgency-not-terrorists/

My opinion on this:
So its is official , americans do not want anything to do with Afghanistan anymore. If we take a pragmatic view there is nothing wrong with acting in their own self interest. As far as India are concerned , After the american troop withdrawal we will officially be back in year 1994 as far as the region is concerned. a lot of timepass both for us and bakis.

 

[cobra commando]

India 'Priority Country' at US Investors' Summit: Consul - The New Indian Express

 

[cobra commando]

India, US defence officials to draw roadmap for collaboration | Zee News

 

[ezsasa]

Looks like americans are cooking something, would be interesting to see what this could lead to.

Analysis: LANPAC 2015 adds subtle focus on India

The Association of the US Army's Land Power in the Pacific (LANPAC) symposium this year included some increased references to the 'Indo-Asia-Pacific' region, underscoring the increasing importance of India as a US defence partner in an area previously referred to as the 'Asia Pacific'.

ANALYSIS
In his 19 May opening remarks to begin LANPAC, General Vincent Brooks, head of US Army Pacific (ARPAC), almost exclusively referred to his operating area as the 'Indo-Asia-Pacific' region, and other panellists did as well.

The United States and India have had a lukewarm defence relationship as New Delhi has sought to remain relatively autonomous, self-sufficient, and unaligned with other major powers, but the two states are slowly moving closer.

link:http://www.janes.com/article/51566/analysis-lanpac-2015-adds-subtle-focus-on-india

 

[Zebra]

Looks like americans are cooking something, would be interesting to see what this could lead to.

Analysis: LANPAC 2015 adds subtle focus on India

The Association of the US Army's Land Power in the Pacific (LANPAC) symposium this year included some increased references to the 'Indo-Asia-Pacific' region, underscoring the increasing importance of India as a US defence partner in an area previously referred to as the 'Asia Pacific'.

ANALYSIS
In his 19 May opening remarks to begin LANPAC, General Vincent Brooks, head of US Army Pacific (ARPAC), almost exclusively referred to his operating area as the 'Indo-Asia-Pacific' region, and other panellists did as well.

The United States and India have had a lukewarm defence relationship as New Delhi has sought to remain relatively autonomous, self-sufficient, and unaligned with other major powers, but the two states are slowly moving closer.

link:http://www.janes.com/article/51566/analysis-lanpac-2015-adds-subtle-focus-on-india

:biggrin2:

U.S. military invites 26 countries to land forces forum.

 

[Zebra]

http://www.voanews.com/content/us-india-sign-defense-pact-countering-chinese-influence/2808540.html

Li Bao, June 04, 2015

 

[ezsasa]

Interesting article in business standard.

I have two issues with this article. Two issues are that firstly it was written by Ajai shukla and secondly talks about Hillary as an friendly, i have reservations about both these names.

US Congress weighs 'strategic plus' relationship with India

Watchers of the US-India relationship know it is driven top-down from the White House, at the instance of President Barack Obama. Now another crucial power group, the US legislative Congress, is increasing pressure for closer ties between Washington and New Delhi.

Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner, co-chairs of the powerful India Caucus, have introduced an amendment to the US National Defense Authorization Act, which expresses the "Sense of Congress" that the "upgraded, strategic-plus relationship with India" requires Washington to "welcome the role of the Republic of India in providing security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond".

The National Defense Authorization Act is a mechanism through which Congress oversees the expenditure of the defence budget each year. If Congress passes the Cornyn-Warner amendment, the Pentagon would find it easier this year to access finances for US-India defence cooperation.

An analyst familiar with the working of the US Congress says the Cornyn-Warner amendment is very likely to be passed this week.

The India Caucus, which currently includes 35 senators from the Republican and Democratic parties, was formed in 2004. Its founders were Republican senator from Texas, John Cornyn; and then-senator, Hilary Clinton, who might well succeed Obama as the next American president. Mark Warner, Democratic senator from Virginia, became the Democratic co-chair when Clinton was appointed secretary of state.

The amendment states: "It is the sense of Congress that the United States should - (1) continue to expand defense cooperation with the Republic of India; (2) welcome the role of the Republic of India in providing security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond; (3) work cooperatively with the Republic of India on matters relating to our common defense; (4) vigorously support the implementation of the United States - India Defense Framework Agreement; and (5) support the India Defense Trade and Technology Initiative."

To justify this, the amendment states: "Congress makes the following findings: (1) The United States has an upgraded, strategic-plus relationship with India based on regional cooperation, space science cooperation and defense cooperation; (2) The defense relationship between the United States and the Republic of India is strengthened by the common commitment of both countries to democracy; (3) The United States and the Republic of India share a common and long-standing commitment to civilian control of the military; (4) The United States and the Republic of India have increasingly worked together on defense cooperation across a range of activities, exercises, initiative and research."

Indian diplomacy in Washington is increasingly focused on engaging "the Hill" - the phrase for elected lawmakers on Capitol Hill, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The influence of a friendly Congress is regarded as crucial for empowering the US administration through legislative initiatives like the current one.

http://www.business-standard.com/ar...s-relationship-with-india-115061100037_1.html

 

[sorcerer]

PM Modi to visit Facebook HQ in San Francisco, says Mark Zuckerberg
WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the headquarters of the social media giant Facebook in Silicon Valley's Menlo Park for a townhall Q&A, the company's founder Mark Zuckerberg announced on Sunday, as the Indian leader's program in the US took shape with an obvious emphasis on business ties.

"I'm excited to announce that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will be visiting Facebook HQ later this month for a Townhall Q&A. I had the chance to visit Prime Minister Modi in India last year and it's an honor to have the chance to host him here at Facebook," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.

Modi is also expected to visit Googleplex, the campus of the tech giant Google in Mountain View and the factory floor of Tesla in Fremont, both in Silicon Valley. He is also expected to address the academic and student community at Stanford University in Palo Alto, though that part of the program is yet to be finalized.

I thank Mark Zuckerberg for the invite to visit @facebook HQ & for the Townhall Q&A at 10 PM IST on 27th September. https://t.co/tlbCeLZeh4

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 13, 2015 He may also have a separate event with a prominent Indian company with operations in the US in an occasion that will highlight Indian contribution to the American industry and job creation.

In his Facebook message, Zuckerberg said he and Prime Minister Modi will "discuss how communities can work together to address social and economic challenges" in the event slated for Sunday, September 27 and 9.30 am local time (Sunday night 10 pm IST). He invited Facebook users to send in questions on his page promising to get to as many as possible. He also said he would post the live video on his page and it will also be on Prime Minister Modi's page.

PM invites the questions for Townhall Question and Answer(Q&A) session at Facebook Headquarters on September 27, 2015 http://t.co/pF2Em7fRFO

— PIB India (@PIB_India) September 13, 2015 Launched only in 2004, Facebook has become one of the world's most influential companies with 1.18 billion active users (more one in seven people on the planet) as of last month. It went public in February 2012, becoming one of the fastest companies to reach a market cap of $ 250 billion. Although such valuations have been questioned by business traditionalists, the company announced a revenue of more than $12 billion in 2014, mostly from advertising.

The company is expanding so rapidly that on a recent visit to the Menlo Park campus, this correspondent noted the parking lot was overflowing, with free valet parking offered to both employees and visitors (there were also reserved parking spots for expectant mothers). Inside the sprawling campus, there were at least a dozen restaurants and cafes (for free for employees; only one was paid restaurant).

The campus also has facilities such as doctor's clinic and hair salon so as to minimize the time loss and give employees maximum time to meet the goals.



Inside one of the buildings, a giant touch screen showed 1.49 billion daily users during the month of August. Total Facebook online visitors from India on that particular day was 63 million, of whom 58 million were mobile visitors.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...says-Mark-Zuckerberg/articleshow/48943367.cms

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Have your servers in India, government to tell social media websites
The Centre has made up its mind to make a strong push for legal bindings on social media sites and force them to have their servers in India in order to keep tabs on malicious and dangerous content.

A meeting with leading social media websites - Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Flicker is expected to be held shortly to bring them on board to have their servers in India, top government sources said. The concerns were first raised by former NSA Shivshankar Menon in a meeting on August 27, 2012 where he had expressed concerns about malicious and dangerous content on websites and suggest ways how to deal with it.


http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...ernment-to-tell-social-media-websites-2054926

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Isnt it with the GoI's plan asking social networks to set up servers in India...With militants and western intel using social networks for propaganda...its a very critical requirement. It would be good if this materializes.