National interest will guide Obama’s India policy: ex-NSA

He cited a discussion by five US secretaries of state, organised by CNN after Obama’s win, where it was said that the US will continue to have strategic cooperation with countries but it will have to “lead” (the countries). The US foreign policy would continue to be guided by its own national interest as has happened since the World War II, Mishra added.

Mishra said the Bush administration’s two key strategies — of expanding eastwards in Europe and balancing of China— will remain under Obama as well.

He said the Indo-US nuclear deal would lead to increased investments from the US. “This is a plus point in the Indo-US relations,” he said.

Saying that the international situation has changed over the past few months following the financial crisis, Mishra said he was of the opinion that the US would seek Chinese cooperation to survive the economic crisis and perform better in the first four years so as to seek re-election.

Former foreign secretary and former Ambassador to US, Lalit Mansingh, said the US would continue its hegemony in the world irrespective of whoever is at the helm. “There would be continuity (in its foreign policy) though there may be some differences¿ Obama is not going to be hostile (to India), but at the same time he is not going to be as friendly as President Bush,” he said.

Mansingh said India could benefit immensely from the Indo-US partnership, especially in technology and fighting terrorism. Only the US has the political will and military capability to fight terror in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is vital to Indian interests, he said.

Giving the Russian perspective, Kanwal Sibal, a former foreign secretary and former Ambassador to Russia, said the country may not be much concerned about the Indo-US deal and would credit the US for its efforts to bring India into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. Russia was reluctant to do so earlier, he added.