All indications are that the tough talking Richard Holbrooke might be appointed to that job in the coming days. Although in deference to New Delhi’s objections, Obama might not name Kashmir as part of the special envoy’s mandate, reworking the India-Pakistan relationship will be an inevitable and important component of his initiative. For the US, which now faces a real prospect of defeat in Afghanistan, South Asia is at the very top of its foreign policy agenda.

The only direct national security threat to the US comes from the now resurgent extremist groups operating in the borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Whether India likes it or not, Washington will devote substantive diplomatic energies towards the subcontinent, and New Delhi will be drawn into this dynamic. Instead of opposing something that is about to unfold, New Delhi must offer full cooperation to Obama in South Asia on terms that are mutually acceptable. A number of factors make the Obama initiative a rare strategic opportunity for India.

For one, there is no basic contradiction between the American imperative to stabilise Pakistan and Afghanistan and India’s need to promote political moderation and economic modernisation of the north-western parts of the subcontinent. For decades the US has refused to discuss with India any issue relating to Pakistan. If Obama seeks India’s cooperation in shaping the future of Pakistan and Afghanistan, New Delhi has every reason to explore the proposition.

Two, the UPA government has little reason to be defensive about Kashmir. It has conducted rather successful elections in the state, and its relations with the US and other major powers are stronger than ever before. It has no reason to be apprehensive about an international “tilt” towards Pakistan on Kashmir. In fact Obama’s initiative is premised on the belief that the balance between India and Pakistan has irrevocably shifted in favour of New Delhi.

... contd.