Frank Pallone
Democrat, New Jersey, Chairman of India Caucus in the House of Representatives
I have no doubt that it is a new beginning. In the next six months the fact that somany American Cabinet members and the President are going to India indicate that theUS-India relationship has improved significantly. The US is going to make India a foreignpolicy priority and I think we have nowhere to go but up, frankly.
I dont know that I can say that US relations with Pakistan willnot continue to impact in some way our relations with India. But what is happening now isthat India has become more and more a foreign policy priority for the US so that ourrelationship with Pakistan is no longer going to be a hindrance.
Sumit Ganguly
Professor of Political Science, Hunter College, New York, and a South Asia expert.
What makes this Clinton-Gujral meet unique?
Much depends on what India does. And on how it engages the US. I wouldnt focus somuch on non-proliferation and on human rights in Kashmir. I would focus on the one issuethat seems to be working in Indo-US relationsthe economic relationship. If you canget a firm economic relationship with the US, a lot of other issues could be put on thebackburner and dealt with quietly rather than in public fora.
It cant be decoupled. But if India improves ties with Pakistan,then the usual awkwardness in dealing with the US on the Pakistan issue will certainlylose its sting.
Yes and no. This requires greater transparency on the India side. TheIndians cant keep planning on holding military exercises and two days prior to that,cancelling them. This has happened on a number of occasions. The Indians have to overcometheir fear of the American forces.
Marshall Bouton
Executive vice-president, Asia Society, and an India-expert
Do you see a new beginning?
Yes. I do. We are clearly in a watershed period in Indo-US relations.We now have a positive direction. It began, in many respects, with the end of the Cold Warand was given a further impetus by the economic reform process in India.
And now we have entered a new phase in which the US has decided that itwants to focus on a broad constructive engagement with India. That engagement will nolonger be conditioned upon specific issues such as arms proliferation. That is not to saythat the US has given up its objectives, its concerns in that area.
That is unlikely in the near future for a variety of reasons. And noris it really necessary. There is no shared threat which the two countries need to addressthrough some strategic relationship. We need to create a level of mutual confidence andtrust so that when we do engage with each other, our motives are not automaticallyquestioned. I give very high marks to the Clinton Administration in respect to India.
Stephen P. Cohen
Professor of political science, University of Illinois at Urbana, and a South Asiaexpert.
Is this a new beginning in Indo-US relations?
Well, I wouldnt say that it is a new beginning. Its goingback and trying to make up for lost time. We deferred a serious dialogue about what aserious relationship could be. The blame or responsibility for this is about evenly sharedby both countries. But the present group in Washington, at least, is interested in a freshstart. They are no longer making the non-proliferation issue the guidepost for Americanpolicy. But I dont think there is going to be any dramatic interventions.
I think personalities make some difference. Among these personalities(both in US and India) there is less fear that the region is going to turn into a scenefor a nuclear war than it was perhaps three or five years ago. Theres less hysteriaabout stability in South Asia.
In the past when weve had a dialogue with India, one of thethings we had from them is basically that you must dump Pakistan. Wecant forge a relationship on the basis of India dictating our relations with a thirdcountry. And, of course, Pakistan is always warning us about our ties with India....Theres a new opportunity for India to conclude its dialogue with Pakistan whichmakes American role irrelevant. India can offer Pakistan more than we can in terms ofsecurity and trade.
I wouldnt want to predict the future...but I expect the problemmay be on the Indian side because India is so distracted by its internal developments andhas such an unstable government. So, it may be hard for India to move quickly towardeither Pakistan or toward the US. The Gujral doctrine has received fairly wide consensusacross the political spectrum. India does need to move in its relations with Pakistan andthe US in some significant way. It just cant say no all the time. It has to offersomething in order to get something.
Gary Ackerman
Democrat from New York, Member of House International Relations Committee:
Is there a new paradigm in Indo-US ties?
I think it is a tremendous opportunity: a new current is developing that is being builton a maturing of a wonderful relationship between the peoples of India, the peoples of USand our two governments. This is a relationship that will continue to be builtarenewed relationship thats only going to be strengthened. These are all good signsin the air.
That is a good possibility. Talks on this issue will begin and,hopefully, we will see that strategic relationship happen. There are some steps that ourState Department would like to see happen and some discussions will take place. I think astrategic relationship is very much on the cards.
