Obama in India: Good visit? Or very good visit?

[The Messiah]

Jalashwa Austin class ATD,
"Under terms of sale, Jalashwa cannot be used during a war or offensive operation, unless such action is granted by the United States Pentagon."

They have done this before. Other than that it's obviously gonna be a step forward for India.

These terms are unacceptable to any self respecting Indian but apprantly some are not so

 

[Glint]

These terms are unacceptable to any self respecting Indian but apprantly some are not so

That's the reason i said it's the single most used trick of US.
Obviously India can choose not to care and use it during war but that would hurt the reputation and blow the treaty.

 

[Zebra]

US offered diluted form of these agreements in 2013, with mutual discussions in between India and the US.

It was the best chance for India.

But unfortunately India missed it.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Yeah, if ever INS and USN go for operation together, then USN guys may say like ....hey, listen, you are not allowed to bring INS Jalashwa in such operations.

I am sure there is more to it but not everything is made public.

 

[Zebra]

I am sure there is more to it but not everything is made public.

Now the same USA support India for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership.

But wait, please, don't do it.

Few Indians are self respecting guys and it hurts their self respect.

 

[pmaitra]

Advisory:

• Either voluntarily review the forum rules, or you might be facilitated with some spare time to evaluate the forum rules.
• If one person begins personal attacks, please report, and do not retaliate. If there is mutual aggression, both sides could potentially get penalized.

 

[kumar2310s]

If i recall reading a news item, there was an agreement to form a working group to explore technology for aircraft carriers and also share the design of jet engine technology. (source:Obama Visit: India, US Achieve Breakthrough in Civil N-Deal Implementation - The New Indian Express). This was a big achievement. If sharing design of jet engine technology comes through, i believe we will do well on our LCA projects since the Kaveri project shut down.

Besides that Nuclear deal shows the changed mindset in the US in relation to india. Though the number of defence projects in coproduction may be less, but there is warmth in relationship. Hafiz Sayeed's group JUD has been declared terrorist organization in Pakistan. A lot of other similar developments show the changed mindset and desire on US part to partner India. This changed mindset is the biggest achievement.



I understand there were events in the past that reduced trust on the US in indian's mind. However that was past. Lets hope with the new relationship, india can become a power in global arena.

 

[Ray]

Modi's high profile whirlwind visits to other major Nations and Modi's reputation as a business generating persona added to the interest of Nations keen to invest in India's large market. This has put the world focus on India, which till then was taken to be sideshow in international geopolitics and geostrategy.

Obama's visit has added to the hype and importance that India is a Nation to be reckoned.

While nothing has been generated as if the visit was to conjure concrete issue like instant coffee, the path for some real deals have been paved. It is now a matter of details that have to be worked through since the deals spoken of are not the usual nebulous sweet nothings spoken after visits.

The Nuclear issue is a done deal. But the details have to be worked out with US companies which supply the reactors. The Defence agreements are done deals, but the fine print has to be worked out.

The strategic convergence on the concept of Asia Pivot could not have been more elaborate and positive.

In short, it is a visit that has thrown up positive results that are as good as done, once the details are worked out.

Things are moving and India is no longer in a state of moribund magnificence as was the signature of the UPA regime.

It has emerged into a positive Action oriented and Result oriented regimen.

 

[Free Karma]

A trade war brewing

A trade war brewing - Livemint

While pundits and commentators were busily parsing US President Barack Obama's much-publicized town hall address in Delhi, and the talking heads in television studios were fiercely debating whether his comments on religious freedom were intended as a slight to his host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, most observers paid short shrift to the more important speech that Obama gave during his brief visit to India.

On Republic Day, 26 January, the two leaders addressed a summit meeting of business leaders from both countries. While Modi's speech was broad—Obama himself referred to it as expansive—Obama's, by contrast, was quite specific, and laid out his agenda for how the bilateral economic relationship ought to unfold. While paying lip service to the idea that enhanced trade would be a "win-win"—in economic jargon, that international trade is mutually gainful, rather than being a zero-sum game—the examples he gave to illustrate the idea pointed, rather, to a mercantilist mindset.

Increased US exports to India, Obama argued, would be good for American workers. But he did not make the logical and reciprocal argument that increased imports from India would be good for Indian workers—because, presumably, this would require conceding that some American jobs in import-competing sectors might be lost. Rather, he not-so-subtly shifted ground by arguing that Indian investment—not trade—would also be good for jobs in America.

What is more, his argument for why increased trade would be good for India was mute on the benefits a larger indigenous manufacturing sector would have for India's economy and on job creation in India. This is what Obama actually did say: "And our growing trade is a win for India, because increased US exports and investment here mean more American-made planes flying passengers on India's airlines all over the world, more American-made turbines generating the energy India needs to continue with its growth, more American-made machinery upgrading India's infrastructure."

How exactly, then, does Obama's obsession with Made in America and export to India match up with Modi's mantra of Make in India? It doesn't.

While free trade is mutually gainful, the mercantilist theory of exporting more and importing less is necessarily an adversarial game. We have already seen that India's success in information technology (IT) led to a protectionist backlash in the US, fuelled by fears of good jobs being outsourced to India. While Indian IT companies have countered these arguments by pointing to the fact that they have set up operations in the US, and thus contribute to skilled employment there, not just in India, it will be more difficult for Indian manufacturers to claim that their exports to the US are good for unskilled American workers employed in industries with whom they are in direct competition.

Cast your glance away from the brightly lit photo opportunities of the two leaders' warm embraces in Delhi, and you will see that a trade war between India and the US is already brewing.

According to news reports, US secretary of state John Kerry, on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat summit, expressed concern about India's plan to support indigenous manufacturing in the renewable energy sector, which he referred to as the "Make in India law". Indeed, the two countries are already locked in a trade dispute, with the US alleging that India's domestic content requirements in the procurement of solar cells and modules violate international trade norms, while India accuses the US of unfairly subsidizing its own manufacturers. The matter is set to be taken up on 3 February by a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, at which the US will make its first submission. Meanwhile, raising the stakes, state-owned NTPC Ltd is expected to call bids, on 4 February, for developing 750 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic projects in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana—open only to domestic manufacturers—according to a recent report in this newspaper.

While this dispute may appear minor in the context of the larger bilateral economic relationship, it would be folly to write it off as an isolated and idiosyncratic irritant. As Make in India proceeds apace—especially if domestic procurement requirements are mandated across sectors—one should fully expect many more such trade disputes to break out—not just with the US, but with other major trading partners as well.

More broadly, the rise of export-driven manufacturing powerhouses who are seen as threatening to American manufacturing industries—starting with Japan, then the East Asian miracle economies, and most recently China—has always resulted in a protectionist backlash, even a xenophobic one, in the US. There is no reason to believe India will be treated any differently if Indian manufacturing exports to the US begin to surge.

As the warm glow of Obama's India visit fades, the realities of US domestic politics will impinge on the bilateral economic relationship, especially with a presidential election in which there is no incumbent looming next year. We would do well to be prepared.

Seems like some valid concerns to me.

 

[Nicky G]

Re: A trade war brewing

They are very valid. US is increasingly realizing that letting its manufacturing slip in favour of service oriented jobs was a folly, which was primarily driven by the corporations that have increasingly controlled the US in the past three decades post Regan.

Obama is trying all this as he himself doesn't have any more elections, thus is not dependent on the donations of corporations whose sole criteria is cheap labour. However, whoever is the next guy (gal) running for the White House needs these donors thus would be unlikely to act against the corporate overlords.

What India needs to do is ratchet up its lobying in the US congress and senate and make sure it gets favourable deals. Make is India is as critical as anything if India has any hope of taking economic growth to the next level.

 

[pmaitra]

@Free Karma, I request you to use existing threads, instead of opening a new thread on the same topic.

Threads merged.

 

[Ray]

A moment for democracy: Obama visit produced modest breakthroughs, India and US must keep moving forward

Tim Roemer
The writer is former US Ambassador to India and former member of US Congress.

The personal relationship between world leaders is critical to advancing shared causes. We see this in the stories about Winston Churchill living at the White House during World War II, sometimes for days at a time.

We read in the press recently that Indian Prime Minister Modi broke with tradition and met President Obama at the airport in New Delhi with a bear hug. Modi apparently later referred to Obama simply as "Barack" and said "we joke and share a lot together".

Similarly, Obama is the first US president to visit India twice while in office, the first to attend India`s Republic Day parade and devoted personal time to take Modi on a guided tour of the Martin Luther King Jr memorial on his recent visit to Washington.

Such unique camaraderie is crucial to enhancing trust, strengthening and deepening strategic partnerships and expanding democracy-building opportunities in Asia. The US-India relationship is fundamentally based on common values and mutually shared interests.

I spoke with President Obama at the White House in 2009 about his priorities and foreign policy objectives. He articulated the vital role India should play as a strategic partner with the US in several areas, including counterterrorism, climate issues and new trade opportunities. He also recognised India`s critical role in influencing other countries and strongly encouraged me in my position as US ambassador to concentrate on three policy goals.

First, he said, reach out with your "diplomatic tools" to Indians across the spectrum of religion, economic background, region and status and "connect our values to theirs". He stressed that it would not be good enough to meet only the successful and well-known, but that i must visit and get to know the disadvantaged and poor. I utilised social media, started a "Shake Hands with the Ambassador" campaign, and travelled to villages never before visited by our ambassadors.

Second, in light of the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, Obama urged me to find new avenues of counterterrorism cooperation and intelligence sharing in fighting terrorism as partners. He knew this would be a long-term generational battle. In 2010, we signed a landmark counterterrorism and intelligence-sharing agreement with India.

Lastly, the president recognised India`s invaluable role in the region in promoting democracy and facilitating peace. Afghanistan faced several daunting security challenges; Pakistan was becoming more fragile; Myanmar would be emerging from a difficult past; Bangladesh faced severe water and development problems; Sri Lanka was coming out of a devastating civil war; Nepal was struggling with a host of issues; and China was building ports all around the region.

We are currently working in numerous new bilateral and multilateral settings with India. Modi has delivered speeches in Japan, Australia and Nepal promoting good governance, democracy and good neighbour policies. US and Indian security interests appear to be moving closer together across Asia and will be a powerful stabilising force in the decades ahead.

During President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama`s visit to India last month, modest breakthroughs have occurred in climate change, defence cooperation and possibly even clean energy. Following up with details and actually implementing the agreements will be crucial in the months ahead, but India has expressed its intention to increase its share of renewable energy in electricity generation, which is consistent with its plans to have more solar capacity.

While India has proudly expressed its desire to outperform China on economic growth next year, it should not wish to emulate China`s environmental model. On a trip to China last spring, one Chinese official told me that their "skies were on fire" creating serous pollution and health concerns for children and seniors. Nuclear energy should be a long-term option for India, yet the country has so far failed to align the liability issue with international legal standards. Further progress is required.

In national security, Modi and Obama agreed to extend the Defence Framework Agreement, work on joint production of drone aircraft and expand the Malabar Exercise. They reiterated their shared concern for freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and "especially in the South China Sea". Both India and the US desire peaceful relations with China but have mutual concerns about China`s intentions. Hopefully cybersecurity issues will be another area for strategic dialogue and mutual cooperation in the near future.

The world is experiencing a violent, volatile period seemingly devoid of rules. Earlier this month in Maiduguri, Nigeria, terrorist group Boko Haram dressed a 10-year-old girl in an explosive vest detonated the bomb in a crowded market, killing and injuring scores of innocent bystanders. Last December, terrorists in Peshawar, Pakistan, attacked a school and slaughtered over 140 children and teachers in cold blood. And earlier last month in Paris terrorists gunned down 13 journalists and magazine staff over satirical depictions of Prophet Muhammad.

There are no easy answers or quick solutions to ending the recruitment, radicalisation and atrocities committed by jihadists, but the best long-term solution at hand is for plural democracies such as the US and India to partner and promote the values of freedom, tolerance and diversity. In the end this is our strongest weapon: integrated, diverse and free societies proving that opportunity and success thrive in democracy.

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