The biggest challenge in moving the United States-India agenda forward, believes former ambassador to India Frank Wisner, will be to get the attention of the powers that be in the Barack Obama administration.
At a recent US-India Business Council event, outgoing Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen described Wisner as an institution in the promotion of US-India ties. Over the years, Sen said, "He has been my guru and I have depended on his counsel."
When Wisner last month bailed out as vice chairman, external relations, of the much-maligned American International Group, top lobbying firm Patton Boggs quickly recruited him as its senior international affairs adviser to head its India portfolio and lobby New Delhi's interests on Capitol Hill and with the Obama administration.
Wisner spoke to Rediff India Abroad's Aziz Haniffa
What do you foresee as the major challenges as you work toward enhancing US-India relations in the Obama administration?
There are a number of challenges that we will have to bear in mind, but not the least of which is that you can go through the Obama administration and virtually anyone -- anyone -- will tell you, 'Oh, yes, India is great, India is important to us.' But then, the problem is how many people are going crazy trying to do the crises of every day? I think the biggest problem for me is not whether the Obama administration likes or regards India in a favourable manner, [but whether it is] devoting the time and attention to working the India brief and being involved in the issues and setting up the consultations. It's really important -- it doesn't have to be tomorrow morning, but as soon as people get confirmed in their offices -- that we really focus on India and give the time and attention it deserves. Because going forward with India on the several issues that are out there is a really serious, difficult, time-consuming, energy-consuming matter for both sides.
But would you say that the US and India today are inextricably attached at the hip and that India just cannot be ignored, notwithstanding the immediate priority being given by this administration to other countries and areas in the world?
And vice versa. India just cannot ignore the US either and do without the US. And, of course, the US cannot afford to ignore India.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her first overseas trip -- which was to Asia -- did not include India in her itinerary. China was on it, as were Japan, Indonesia and South Korea. Some analysts contended that India is second-tier when it comes to the Obama administration, and not in the same league as China.
I don't believe so. She would have spread herself too thin [if she had included India on her trip]. She'll get to India soon -- that I am confident about -- and it will be better if she sat down and planned her agenda. In fact, instead she sent [Richard] Holbrooke [special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan] to get his hands around the important agenda of Afghanistan. It would have been very distracting and confusing for her to have been in the region at the same time or shortly thereafter.
Image: US President Barack Obama participates in a town hall on the economy at the White House. Inset: Frank Wisner.
Photograph: Larry Downing/Reuters | Inset image: Paresh Gandhi
Also see: Is the Obama administration ignoring India?
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