Between friends

Sceptics would say that the substance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs White House meeting with President Barack Obama did not really match the pomp and ceremony surrounding the occasion. There were no major new agreements; nor did the two sides wrap up the residual issues relating to the implementation of the nuclear deal. But a breakthrough comparable with the historic civil nuclear initiative of July 2005 was never on the cards. And Delhis lack of political ambition for the visit was quite evident. The principal emphasis of the Indian delegation,instead,was on finding out if Obamas head and heart were committed to advancing the bilateral relationship that had been transformed during the Bush years. Obamas excessive deference to China during his recent Asian tour and his deepening dependence on Pakistan to achieve US goals in Afghanistan had raised genuine questions about the place of India in Obamas foreign policy.

On his part,Obama appears to have addressed most of Delhis apprehensions. First,on the non-proliferation front,Obama acknowledged Indias status as a nuclear power and reaffirmed the US determination to implement the civil nuclear initiative. While the last mile in terms of the arrangements for reprocessing the spent fuel needs to be traversed,the two sides are confident it is now a matter of time before American firms start building nuclear power plants in India. Second,on the question of relegating India to a sub-altern position vis-à-vis China,Obama went out of the way to make amends to the probably unintended impressions given in Beijing. Obama called the partnership with India indispensable for the management of the new global order and declared that the US welcomes and encourages Indias leadership role in shaping the new Asia.

The most consequential outcome,however,is on a third set of areas relating to Afghanistan,Pakistan and counter-terrorism. The joint statement issued at the end of the talks underlined the shared interests of India and the US in a stable and independent Afghanistan. It also called for the defeat of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and Afghanistan. To translate this into effective action,the two sides have agreed to intensify their intelligence exchanges and step up their counter-terror cooperation. On the anniversary of the Mumbai attacks,nothing is more important for India than preventing a similar outrage and the cooperation with the US is proving to be critical. Having won the necessary strategic reassurance from the White House,it is now up to Delhi to think more creatively about the India-US relationship and develop some big ideas for Obamas planned visit to Delhi next year.