OBAMA DISSES INDIA — AGAIN
Obama’s appointment of Indiana Representative Timothy Roemer as ambassador to India is another troubling sign of this administration’s attitude towards its important and critical ally.
Ambassadorships are often key signaling devices. Two weeks ago, for example, President Obama gave China Jon Huntsman as ambassador. In addition to being a rising Republican star, Huntsman is a proficient Mandarin speaker. He has lived and worked in East Asia and has an adopted Chinese daughter. Additionally, he served as Ambassador to Singapore in the early 1990s. Huntsman’s nomination is a clear sign to the Chinese that the United States is committed to strengthening ties. At the press conference announcing his nomination, President Obama noted that: “This ambassadorship is as important as any in the world.”
What then to make of the appointment of Tim Roemer? While China receives a potential future president in Huntsman, India receives in Tim Roemer a six-term Indiana representative who has little connection with the region.
With the opening of the Indian economy in the early 1990s, and increasing military ties, India has emerged as one of the United States’ most important strategic partners in the 21st century. The United States is now India’s largest trading partner and also the largest source of direct foreign investment. Both nations’ navies have conducted joint exercises, and in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks there has been a renewed effort at intelligence sharing and coordination. The Indian military has turned to American suppliers after many years of relying on Soviet and Russian military technology. The passage of the civilian nuclear agreement in Congress allows for India to purchase nuclear technology from the United States. The appointment of a former Congressman with little involvement in the region does nothing to highlight the importance of this growing relationship.
Roemer does have an interest in national security and foreign affairs: he has worked on non-proliferation issues and serves on the bipartisan committee on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Yet such work suggests he might have been better employed with an appointment to Pakistan, a nation with questions about the security of their nuclear arsenal.
The appointment of Roemer is just the latest in a series of steps which suggest that the Obama administration does not fully appreciate America’s relationship with India. At the G-20 summit in April, Obama raised eyebrows in India with his remark that the tax code should be rewritten to limit outsourcing: “It’s a tax code that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India than if you create one in Buffalo, New York.” And during her first overseas trip as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton traveled to Asia, but did not include a stop in India.
Most troubling though are the attempts by the Obama administration to link the dispute over Kashmir to the growing turmoil in Pakistan. During the campaign, Obama suggested that the US might play a more active role in brokering a resolution to the conflict. The Obama administration believes that resolving the Kashmir dispute will both help the Pakistani government earn the support of their people and allow the Pakistani military to redirect their armed forces against the ever-growing Islamic insurgency in their country. New Delhi immediately dismissed the idea, but it will be interesting to see if Roemer once again pushes for an American-mediated settlement. While promoting stability in Pakistan is important, if Obama and Roemer deal with India by asking: “What’s best for Pakistan?” they may alienate an even more important long-term strategic ally.
Jewish support Obama ?? Since when ??