India-US Relations : News and Discussion- II

[Philip]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world/ind ... mUYdM.html

India, US to cooperate to track Chinese submarines
Reuters, New Delhi/Hong Kong
Updated: May 02, 2016 .

Photo of India's Scorpene -class submarine Kalivari carrying out its maiden sea trials off the coast of Mumbai on Sunday. (AFP)

India and the United States are in talks to help each other track submarines in the Indian Ocean, military officials say, a move that could further tighten defence ties between New Delhi and Washington as China steps up its undersea activities.

Both the US and India are growing concerned at the reach and ambition of the Chinese navy, which is taking an increasingly assertive stance in the South China Sea and is challenging India’s domination in the Indian Ocean.

New Delhi, shedding its decades-old reluctance to be drawn into America’s embrace, agreed last month to open up its military bases to the US in exchange for access to weapons technology to help it narrow the gap with China.

The two sides said their navies will hold talks on anti-submarine warfare (ASW), an area of sensitive military technology and closely held tactics that only allies share.

“These types of basic engagements will be the building blocks for an enduring navy-to-navy relationship that we hope will grow over time into a shared ASW capability,” one US official familiar with India-US military cooperation said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Indian naval officials say Chinese submarines have been sighted on an average four times every three months. Some are seen near India’s Andamans and Nicobar Islands that lie near the Malacca Straits, the entry to the South China Sea through which more than 80% of China’s fuel supplies pass.

India and the US, which already conduct joint naval exercises, both fly the new version of the P-8 aircraft, making information sharing easier on highly sensitive submarine tracking activities.

The P-8 is Washington’s most advanced submarine hunting weapon, equipped with sensors that can track and identify submarines by sonar and other means.

An Indian naval spokesman declined to comment on the proposed anti-submarine warfare cooperation with the US.

But an Indian naval source, briefed on the discussions, said the focus of the next set of joint exercises to take place in the northern Philippine Sea in June will be on anti-submarine warfare.

Japan, a close US ally whose submarines are believed to track Chinese submarines in the western Pacific, will also be a participant in the exercises.

Intense surveillance

Two linked factors are driving the cooperation, say regional military attaches and security experts. The prospect of active patrols by nuclear-armed Chinese submarines has sparked intense surveillance activity around the China’s southern submarine base on Hainan Island, and nearby waters.

India, meanwhile, is preparing to launch (?,should be commission) its first locally built submarine armed with nuclear tipped missiles.

So just as US attack submarines are seeking to track the Chinese nuclear armed submarines in the Pacific, the Chinese are expected to send their own attack submarines to the Indian Ocean in greater numbers to scrutinise the Indian patrols.

Collin Koh, a submarine expert at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said increased US submarine and surveillance activity was being seen across the region.

“We will see the Indian Ocean grow in importance too, particularly around traditional chokeholds, such as the approaches to the Malacca Straits and the Nicobar Islands, so an improved US relationship with the major submarine player in the area, India, is very significant,” Koh said.

Bolstering Indian capabilities

Initially, the US as the world leader in anti-submarine warfare is likely to be bolstering Indian capabilities in the field.

But in time, experts say each country could be covering stretches of the Indian Ocean through which two-thirds of the world’s trade moves.

David Brewster, an expert on the strategic rivalry in Indian Ocean at the Australian National University, said anti-submarine warfare collaboration may eventually include Australia, another US ally which just ordered 12 new submarines.

“We are likely to ultimately see a division of responsibilities in the Indian Ocean between those three countries, and with the potential to also share facilities.”

China for its part is seeking to secure its energy and trade transportation links by building ports and other infrastructure for countries such as Sri Lanka that lie along the vital shipping route.

Asked about collaboration between India and the US on submarine warfare, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, said China had noted countries in the region engaging in military cooperation.

“We hope that the relevant cooperation is normal, and that it can be meaningful to the peace and stability of the region,” she said.

[NRao]

Dangers of a Tight Embrace

[NRao]

Modi Ignored Advice To Make Obama Squirm. It Has Paid Off

[SSridhar]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world/ind ... mUYdM.html

India, US to cooperate to track Chinese submarines

That's why the US wants CISMOA to be signed.

[schinnas]

NYTimes seems busy with its hit jobs against India and specifically against Modi and BJP. Soon after their farticle arguing against NSG membership for India, we have this. Several wrong characterizations which are untrue - such as calling RSS as a paramilitary organization and equating Modi to a 1950s southern seggregationist leader. NyTimes has become a motivated tabloid. This fellow Gardiner Harris seems to be anti-Modi. Some BRFites may remember his antics some months ago on NDTV live show chanting against Rahul Gandhi. He wants a credible opposition to Modi and realizes that RaGa is not that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/world ... obama.html

The nation’s first black president, Mr. Obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life. And he has argued that criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy.

Mr. Modi, by contrast, spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary organization that campaigns forcefully for India’s Hindu majority. Mr. Modi was in charge of the state of Gujarat when rioting in 2002 cost the lives of more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims. Just last week, 24 people were convicted of massacring Muslims during the riots, and pending cases are attempting to prove that Mr. Modi, who has so far escaped judicial censure, was part of a high-level conspiracy to encourage the killings.

Generally poorer and less educated than India’s Hindus, Muslims are about 14 percent of the population, about the same proportion as African Americans in the United States. In India, Mr. Modi’s reputation among Muslims could broadly be compared to that of a Southern segregationist from the 1950s.

Perhaps just as troubling, Mr. Modi’s government has increasingly used the country’s broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent, according to a recent report by Human Rights Watch. Other laws have been used to intimidate and even shut down nongovernmental organizations, such as Greenpeace.

...

[SSridhar]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/world ... obama.html

Other laws have been used to intimidate and even shut down nongovernmental organizations, such as Greenpeace.

We can't and don't expect usually less informed Americans, which almost all of them are, to write anything better. Besides that, the reference to Greenpeace is an indication that this is a 'paid ' article, paid for by the likes of Greenpeace and possibly by Ford Foundation and evenjihadist Bible Belt organizations that are under scanner.

[ldev]

This is what naval cooperation with the US will protect. Just look at the oil tanker traffic from the Persian Gulf via the Arabian sea, the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka into the Malacca Straits and into the South China Sea. So much of that traffic passes very close to Indian shores and so much of that oil is destined for China, but also Japan, Taiwan and other South East Asian countries.

[habal]

NYTimes seems busy with its hit jobs against India and specifically against Modi and BJP. Soon after their farticle arguing against NSG membership for India, we have this. Several wrong characterizations which are untrue - such as calling RSS as a paramilitary organization and equating Modi to a 1950s southern seggregationist leader. NyTimes has become a motivated tabloid. This fellow Gardiner Harris seems to be anti-Modi. Some BRFites may remember his antics some months ago on NDTV live show chanting against Rahul Gandhi. He wants a credible opposition to Modi and realizes that RaGa is not that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/world ... obama.html

The nation’s first black president, Mr. Obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life. And he has argued that criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy.

Mr. Modi, by contrast, spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary organization that campaigns forcefully for India’s Hindu majority. Mr. Modi was in charge of the state of Gujarat when rioting in 2002 cost the lives of more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims. Just last week, 24 people were convicted of massacring Muslims during the riots, and pending cases are attempting to prove that Mr. Modi, who has so far escaped judicial censure, was part of a high-level conspiracy to encourage the killings.

Generally poorer and less educated than India’s Hindus, Muslims are about 14 percent of the population, about the same proportion as African Americans in the United States. In India, Mr. Modi’s reputation among Muslims could broadly be compared to that of a Southern segregationist from the 1950s.

Perhaps just as troubling, Mr. Modi’s government has increasingly used the country’s broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent, according to a recent report by Human Rights Watch. Other laws have been used to intimidate and even shut down nongovernmental organizations, such as Greenpeace.

...

thanks to Trump, rags like NYT stand totally discredited. Let's not give them any credit or airtime.

[nvishal]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/in ... YZdlO.html

Modi’s Washington visit will see the two leaders finalising discussions on the Logistics Exchange Memorandum Agreement (LEMOA), that allows the two countries to share each other’s naval facilities. The final document will, however, be signed by the defence ministers of the two countries.

Apparently, the draft for the custom LEMOA is yet to be finalized by the indian side. I imagine it will be like those sites that come under and don't come under IAEA inspection. Similarly, some bases and ports will be no-entry. It's very difficult to imagine us docking at diego garcia.

Back during the bangla war, while the USS enterprise was approaching closer and closer to the indian coast(for it to launch jet missions), an indian special forces unit had finalized its plan to raid diego garcia but awaiting indiras orders. The mission was a one way trip - no return. For a variety of reasons, the USS enterprise didn't come close(within the fighters range) and the diego garcia raid never happened. Due to indira, it was never talked about. The americans did came to know about it but only after many many years albeit through gossips and rumours.

Make no mistake about it. We don't talk about garcia in public but it is always on our drawing board. And the americans will exercise caution knowing what little they know about the indian military and its thoughts. This will shape LEMOAs draft. Both will be snooping each other.

[NRao]

∆0∆∆∆

More than likely the two Def Mins were unable to come to an agreement and kicked the can to their boxes. Cannot go any higher up. I think India is requesting a "waiver".

Don't see why IN cannot stop at DG. That is the purpose of this agreement.

[krishna_krishna]

Yikes, What no LEMOA signing during modi's Washington visit. Hai Allah, all the weird substance people were smoking while munching barbeque during memorial day weekend all gone to waste.

MOD babus preparing mind for chai biskut eventuality. What century we are living in 21 is Definitely a bad number because 21 is also number for black jack!!!, massa dalals still dream of living in 20th century when they were numero uno. Old habits die hard.

How dare evil SDRE reject khayali biryani of deep state gangadeens.

Long weekend, so will get back to interesting discussion in a day or two.

Meanwhile, chai-biscut memo has not reached MP/Modi. Please ensure clear comms. (JK)

HT :: Defence deal likely before PM Modi’s US visit in June


Yikes, it strikes again!!



I think Indian MoD is preparing the minds for such an eventuality.

?????

[Viv S]

PM Modi lays wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington

Starting his first engagement during his two-day bilateral visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid wreath at the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ at the Arlington National Cemetery.

The visiting Prime Minister was received by US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

“PM @narendramodi at Arlington Cemetery. Secretary of Defence Carter receives him,” tweeted Prime Minister’s Office.

“Honouring sacrifice, saluting valour. Formal engagements begin with a solemn ceremony at @ArlingtonNatl, ” tweeted Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson, Vikas Swarup.

The Arlington National Cemetery is a United States’ military cemetery in whose 624 acres, the dead of the nation’s conflicts have been buried, beginning with the American Civil War.

The visiting Prime Minister also paid tribute to Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla and other US astronauts who were on board the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia and perished when it disintegrated while reentering the earth’s orbit on February 1, 2003.

“PM @narendramodi lays a wreath at Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial at @ArlingtonNatl,” Swarup tweeted. “In homage to heroism and indomitable courage. PM @narendramodi at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial,”he said in another tweet.

After the wreath laying ceremony, he also interacted with American astronaut Sunita Williams and her father Deepak Pandya who among others were present here.

“In the presence of astronaut Sunita Williams and Kalpana Chawla’s family,” Swarup tweeted. “In memory of the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia,” PMO tweeted. Prime Minister Modi’s other engagement today include two events at Blair House.

The Prime Minister would be meeting President Obama on June 7, followed by a lunch in his honour. On the 8th of June, the forenoon is devoted to events in the US Congress. He would be going to the US Congress, meeting Speaker Paul Ryan and the Congressional leadership. He would be delivering an address to the joint meeting of the US Congress.

This would be followed by a lunch, which is hosted by the Speaker in honour of the Prime Minister and there will be a reception, which will be jointly done by the House and Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and the India Caucus, followed by a brief community reception.

He would on the afternoon of June 8 flying off the Mexico City, where he would have a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

[Cosmo_R]

....."We can't and don't expect usually less informed Americans, which almost all of them are, to write anything better.

Gardiner Harris is being groomed to assume a very important position at NYT. He is the essence of high society Manhattan

http://talkingbiznews.com/2/the-ties-th ... er-harris/

His very first article was anti-Hindu and it continues. He is an opponent worth tracking.

[Kashi]

Starting his first engagement during his two-day bilateral visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid wreath at the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Wish he hadn't done that. This has the potential to lead to unnecessary controversies, if he can lay a wreath at Arlington, then why not Yasukuni jinja in Tokyo or for that matter UK war memorials?

They all have their share of folks (convicted or not) associated with horrific war crimes. Yes, that includes Arlington.

[Viv S]

He was there hosted by Ashton Carter. Precedence has already been established, albeit by the Def Sec rather than the President.






With regard to the other point, yes some hands are arguably less dirty than others, nobody's are clean however (including ours).

This gesture in any case is not about paying homage to war or militarism. Its the tomb of the 'unknown soldier'. Its no different from giving the enemy dead a proper military funeral (as we did at Kargil).


Modi lays wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, the second day of his visit to Russia, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here.

[ramana]

In 1900 Skinner's Horse rode side by side with US 6th Cavalry at Peking. Battle Honor Pekin 1900 is carried by successor regiments.

[Suresh S]

deleted

[Suresh S]

thanks to Trump, rags like NYT stand totally discredited. Let's not give them any credit or airtime.

Habal not for nothing this crappy newspaper is also known as NYT-New York trash.

All news that is fit to print ( it says on the front page)- my foot.

These ba*ards keeps sending me and others email-please subscribe-feel like saying not even if u paid me.

[NRao]

Interesting.

India Is Coming up Against the Limits of Its Strategic Partnership With the United States

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fourth visit to the United States – his last before President Barack Obama demits office – is unlikely to see a landmark deal or agreement. Perhaps this is normal, even desirable, because both countries have only now begun to exchange notes on their political and economic bottomlines in earnest. To expect a “nuclear moment” during Modi’s visit is unrealistic. A US-India Joint Framework Agreement on cooperation in cyberspace would have come close, but the document remains in square brackets and may not be signed when the prime minister is in Washington. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) too is unlikely to be inked, but there may be some progress on the US-India Defence and Trade Technology Initiative, building on the recent visit of secretary of defence Ashton Carter. As for India’s entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, it will take some persuasion on the part of the Obama administration to convince China to remove its opposition. Suffice to say, the prime minister’s personal and political desire to achieve a quantum leap in relations with the US is now being tempered by strategic realities.

Take the proposed joint framework agreement on cyberspace. South Block must be credited for pursuing such an ambitious project, which until last Sunday, seemed certain to cross the finish line. The document sets a forward-looking agenda, going beyond the usual promises of cooperation between law enforcement agencies and computer emergency response teams. Both sides have explored a number of cyber norms that could be agreed upon mutually, some of which may yet appear in the form of a “fact sheet” annexed to the overall joint statement. It is here that New Delhi may have baulked: among the norms the United States pushed was the “global free flow of data,” which sounds innocuous but is strategically unpalatable for India. For starters, it would constrain the Indian government’s ability to regulate the flow of sensitive and classified online information outside the country.

Second, pending an effective, bilateral mutual legal assistance process to tackle cyber crime, India continues to see data localisation as a solution. Forcing companies to localise country-specific data may not be a desirable idea, but it would be unwise for India to weaken the only bargaining chip it has on the matter.

Third, there is the legitimate concern that the US may be bringing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) through the backdoor. In April 2016, the US Trade Representative’s office released a document called the “Digital 2 Dozen,” outlining the TPP’s goals for the digital economy. Among these objectives is the “free flow of cross-border data” with a view to removing “discriminatory and protectionist barriers”. Thus, what India sees as a security concern, the US views as a primarily economic instrument. Naturally, this is a point of departure for both sides.

Reams of paper have been spent analysing the non-signing of the LEMOA and its precursor, the Logistics Supply Agreement, but it is apparent the government is concerned most about the political optics of the agreements. “Foundational” as LEMOA may be, the NDA can only sell it at home if it charts New Delhi’s own role in the Indian Ocean region for the next five to ten years. It is one thing for India to leverage the agreements to aid its role as a “net security provider” and another to be drawn into US-China rivalry in the region.

Even with the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI), which has identified pathfinder projects, Indian negotiators have begun to wonder how the relationship will play out. If the DTTI is to be a collaborative platform for the co-development and production of technologies, India will have to find domestic institutions and scientists that can incubate such projects. This need is especially crucial for physical systems that form the basis of sentient technologies and lethal autonomous weapons. So far none exist and save isolated pockets of research in the IITs and IISc no institutional effort has been made to backstop India’s contribution to the initiative. Therefore, the risk that it will become a vehicle for the one-way sale of US technology and defence products is real. What’s more, this is an initiative that Ashton Carter has personally pushed within the Obama administration, first as Leon Panetta’s deputy and subsequently as the defence secretary. There is no certainty that the incoming administration next year will promote the DTTI with the same vigour.

The hurdles that deter Modi from breaking new ground on India-US relations are not the product of his personalised diplomacy: they are simply an outcome of the peculiar way in which the bilateral relationship has developed.

After the nuclear deal – truly an exceptional moment – New Delhi appears to be under the impression that a close, strategic partnership with the global hegemon will be the norm, especially on issues close to India’s heart. The United States, on the other hand, seeks greater convergence from India on the management of global regimes, with a view to constrain the rise of China. It is likely the Obama administration sees the Modi visit as its last effort to secure this “normative connect”. The grand bargain that has been struck – India and the US speaking the same language in cyber, climate and intellectual property right regimes, in return for tangible benefits to New Delhi – is not sustainable. India believes its economic growth and strategic rise can still be guided by the rules of the existing international order, but the US – through the TPP and Paris accord – has already proclaimed that these rules are past their shelf date.

As he has done in the past, the prime minister can personally see these bilateral agreements through even at the last minute. But to do so would be unwise. Should India want to be part of new regimes, its domestic capabilities require substantial strengthening: reducing reliance on non-renewable energies, building a community of scientists and private companies to develop civil and military technologies, strengthening the Indian foreign service’s own negotiating capacity, etc. Only then can the India-US partnership provide substantial results. In the interim, agreements signed during high-level interactions such as the prime minister’s visit next week can, at best, keep the fire burning.

Arun Mohan Sukumar heads the Cyber Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

[Kashi]

This gesture in any case is not about paying homage to war or militarism. Its the tomb of the 'unknown soldier'. Its no different from giving the enemy dead a proper military funeral (as we did at Kargil).

I do not disagree. I personally believe it's a great gesture to pay homage to those who laid down their lives in the service of their nation. But in international diplomacy, one has to look at a broader picture.

Take Yasukuni jinja in Tokyo for instance, it's a shrine where all those who laid down their lives in the service of Imperial Japan are interred. It includes people from various nationalities, including Koreans, Taiwanese and Chinese (who had served DaiNippon Teigoku). Yasukuni also hosts a memorial to Justice Radha Binod Pal, who was one of the dissenting judges in the Tokyo war crimes tribunal. I cannot say for certain, but one cannot rule out the possibility that some of the INA soldiers (who we can all agree are patriots) and Bose associated may too have been interred there.

However, Yasukuni has its own share of controversies- among the enshrined are those who have been convicted of war crimes and are perceived as such in Korea, PRC, Taiwan and some South-east Asian states. If our PM were to visit Yasukuni and pay his respects to Justice Pal, the INA patriots (if there are any) and the Japanese war dead, it'll lead to an outcry in Korea and PRC in particular and probably considerable discontent in the other countries.

Likewise, Arlignton or the Whitehall Centotaph are associated with certain figures whose actions during the various wars were highly questionable and would have been likely categorised as war criminals should they have had the misfortune of ending up on the losing side and be brought to trial in front of a "war crimes commission" set up by the victors.

Such controversies only serve to distract from the real thrust of diplomacy, which is to enhance bilateral relations and leverage them to improve our economy and standing in the real world.

[krishna_krishna]

+1 nvishal, Cosmo_r, VivS all good points also add there were pilots ready to do kamakazie if battle group neared indian shores in BoB. That is why I say we should be cold blood realist to rhetoric that is peddled here and elsewhere. Even Talibunnies were hosted at white house in the past.

Rhetoric aside here is my two naya paisa. All this love for Mr.modi will be lost once he demits office all these orchestrated campaigners will start again and modi knows this inspite of this for sake of India's interest it went ahead with peace,now I do not know what carrot uncle is showing.

I am no good predictioner but sending Def secretary to receive Modi means not too much importance given to visiting dignitary. POTUS will begin by saying Mr. modi we are very upset with banning of our zuman rites orgs, passing of non conversion bills by your sovereign law all that . If you give up strategic autonomy and become our vassal (which we believe is too much honor for third world country like yours) we can get your troubles go away at least temporarily, NSG elite membership, uber expensive untested EMALS for your super carrier with bugs installed . But modi wants India specific things and we are ready to negotiate to get technical know how to become strong.

In this puzzle what I cannot figure out is apart from co-operation in manufacturing and defence, what is promised by massa that keeps dove and company occupied by this end of life administration in negotiataions.

[Hari Seldon]

x-posted from the burqa forum

from twitter

>>GAURAV C SAWANT ‏@gauravcsawant 1h1 hour ago
As @PMOIndia pays respect to the fallen soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, a US soldier with our tricolour

[Suresh S]

Important point Kashi. Agree, especially about war crimes during our times. The likes of cheney,rumsfeld, Hillary and even george bush junior.Ever wonder what would happens to these people if they were on the losing side. I leave it to your imagination.

[panduranghari]

Seems Modi is not giving it away to the US as the US hoped.

https://piie.com/experts/peterson-persp ... ic-opening

They are unhappy that Modi is not keen to get India on the TPP bandwagon. TPP or RCEP is cold war and India would be better of remaining non aligned in this newer version of cold war.

[schinnas]

TPP might be good for India in terms of trade. I have some reliable contacts in large US retailers who source billions of dollars worth of products from India every year. Post TPP, they are planning to source more from TPP signatories. The whole idea behind TPP for US is to reduce its reliance on imports from China and to help resurrect other Asia Pacific economies and bring them into a soft economic alliance of inter-dependence with US. It is a counter move to the one sided (in Cheen's favour) trade asymmetry that US has with China.

[SSridhar]

In this puzzle what I cannot figure out is apart from co-operation in manufacturing and defence, what is promised by massa that keeps dove and company occupied by this end of life administration in negotiataions.

Probably, GoI has come to the conclusion that the India-US relationship is no longer constrained by change of regimes in either side and there is a fundamental aspect to it that transcends domestic political considerations. It is certainly true on the Indian side as we have seen Modi pursue the relationship more vigorously than his predecessor.

GoI also needs American support to push India's entry into NSG, MTCR, WA & AG apart from of course, the more drawn out UNSC. Apart from manufacturing & defence, the political support to India internationally that India is angling for from the US. As India learns to do transactional business with the US, it will slowly concede to US demands depending upon the returns. For example, I still believe that LEMOA is not very far from being signed. Admission to NSG would quicken it. Modi will have something in his hand to sell LEMOA to his people, something that the armed forces had agreed to even in the previous regime.

[RajeshA]

End of Life Administrations are probably also more willing to make concessions in order to secure "legacy" as times starts running out.

[Gus]

Well Obama has nothing much to show for anyways other than a half baked healthcare early on and a drawing down of forces from what is still a very messy place that can blow up again and draw them in again.

[Cosmo_R]

Seems Modi is not giving it away to the US as the US hoped.

https://piie.com/experts/peterson-persp ... ic-opening

They are unhappy that Modi is not keen to get India on the TPP bandwagon. TPP or RCEP is cold war and India would be better of remaining non aligned in this newer version of cold war.

It's more of an economic issue. There are some huge issues for India WRT IP and food security

"it can be readily argued that the U.S. and its allies will exert considerable pressure on India to forego certain traditional and principled stances, including food security and the stated intent of not entering into TRIPS Plus arrangements (TRIPS refers to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), which would not be in its national interest."

http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/should-i ... n-the-tpp/

[panduranghari]

Schinnas & Cosmo_R,

Isn't TPP mainly - 'Make in America' project? So then why should Modi sign it? His flagship project is 'Make in India'!

[NRao]

No. Yes. No. Yes. ...... Maybe...... No ........

Indian PM Narendra Modi in US to sign strategic pacts

[NRao]

FYI:

As India’s Prime Minister Modi Visits President Obama, Both Leaders Look to Cement a Legacy

Despite the flourishing of the U.S.-India relationship under Modi and Obama, the fact remains that come next year, the former will be interacting with a new President. And depending on who assumes office next, whether it is the likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton or presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, bilateral ties between the two countries will be affected to varying degrees.

“If Clinton were to be the next President, I think we could expect a lot more of the same and I think the Indians would be perfectly happy with that,” Vaishnav says.

[habal]

thanks to Trump, rags like NYT stand totally discredited. Let's not give them any credit or airtime.

Habal not for nothing this crappy newspaper is also known as NYT-New York trash.

All news that is fit to print ( it says on the front page)- my foot.

These ba*ards keeps sending me and others email-please subscribe-feel like saying not even if u paid me.

NYT

2016/June

Mr. Trump’s support of ethnic and religious litmus tests for judges illustrates his contempt for the rule of law.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/07/opini ... eft-region

2014/Feb

But even though some senators think it’s politically incorrect to say so, a judge’s experience and personal history are, at times, critical to how she or he approaches the job. Given this reality, the makeup of the judiciary should reflect as much as possible the public whose cases come before it. For a long time, most of the attention to increasing diversity has focused on race, ethnicity and gender, where progress has been slow but incremental.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/07/opini ... .html?_r=0

[Suraj]

U.S. sending 1,000-year-old stolen artifacts back to India

More than 200 ancient artifacts stolen from religious sites in India were returned by the United States, coinciding with the U.S. visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch participated in a repatriation ceremony in Washington on Monday.

The valuable religious and art objects were looted from some of India's most revered religious sites over several years and offered for sale in the United States. They include a 1,000-year-old bronze statue of Hindu mystic Saint Manikkavichavakar that was taken from a Chennai, India, monastery, and a bronze sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesh, also believed to be about 1,000 years old. The artifacts will be returned to India gradually, after legal formalities are completed.

"More than 200 antiquities and cultural artifacts that speak to India's astounding history and beautiful culture are beginning their journey home. It is my hope – and the hope of the American people – that this repatriation will serve as a sign of our great respect for India's culture; our deep admiration for its people; and our sincere appreciation for the ties between our nations," Lynch said.

Modi added, "People are attracted to India for its ancient civilization. We have towns dating back 5,000 years. These treasures are to be enjoyed by the entire world. Technology can help us catch those indulging in illicit trafficking."

He then expressed "gratitude to the U.S. government for the sensitivity shown to India's heritage," adding: "This will evoke great respect among the people of India."

Many of the pieces were seized by U.S. Homeland Security investigators as part of Operation Hindu Idol, an investigation begun in 2007. Numerous antiquities were discovered in shipments to New York art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who is awaiting trial in India for allegedly looting tens of millions of dollars worth of rare antiquities.

[KrishnaK]

India, Global Governance, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group - Alyssa Ayres

[nvishal]

Today's takeaway is MTCR membership.

MTCR and NSG were part of the indo-us nuke deal.

The NSG membership is impossible as china won't let it. HOWEVER, If the americans get the chinese to agree, that means gwadar has received american protection from any possible indian blockade or military action(just as rudra summarized).

[svinayak]

Today's takeaway is MTCR membership.

MTCR and NSG were part of the indo-us nuke deal.

The NSG membership is impossible as china won't let it. HOWEVER, If the americans get the chinese to agree, that means gwadar has received american protection from any possible indian blockade or military action(just as rudra summarized).

Who said it is impossible

[ShauryaT]

What this trip should have been about is to integrate Indian companies as part of the American global supply chain in manufacturing. Both via investments and linking up Indian companies into the supply chain. The government guaranteeing a smooth operation and an enabling environment and maybe even elimination of labour laws in zones.

In addition would have loved for Modi to offer American companies a 10 year tax holiday for certain types of technologies to be manufactured in India.

Another area to make progress on would be to push for respecting "ancient" knowledge and NOT to let them become part of the IP regime and if so, provide credits to the source of that knowledge and source origins of the key ingredients.

On defense, a further restriction on sales to Pakistan and an agreement that there is no Pakistani veto for operations in Afghanistan would have been nice.

Available of consultants and joint defense production would have been nice ---- without an expectation for end product orders or any other defense related agreements. We are not at that stage.

Support for an Indian ADIZ?

An understanding that the evil triad or China, N. Korea and Pakistan is a major threat to India and the global order and accommodation for an Indian test, if deemed necessary.

No objection for Japan, S. Korea, Philippines to be part of an Indian led defense co-opeartion framework.

Just some of the things that come to mind, i am sure there are more, from an INDIAN perspective.

So far, this is just a rehash of what was "promised" as part of IUNCA. I am still laughing on India believing the 2005 joint statement, where we were promised parity!!!

[NRao]

Full Text: India-US Joint Statement After PM Modi Meets President Obama

Securing the Domains: Land, Maritime, Air, Space, and Cyber

13. The leaders applauded the completion of a roadmap for cooperation under the 2015 U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, which will serve as a guide for collaboration in the years to come. They resolved that the United States and India should look to each other as priority partners in the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean region.
14. They welcomed the inaugural meeting of the Maritime Security Dialogue. Owing to mutual interest in maritime security and maritime domain awareness, the leaders welcomed the conclusion of a technical arrangement for sharing of maritime "White Shipping" information.
15. The leaders affirmed their support for U.S.-India cooperation in promoting maritime security. They reiterated the importance they attach to ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight and exploitation of resources as per international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and settlement of territorial disputes by peaceful means.
16. The leaders applauded the enhanced military to military cooperation between the two countries especially in joint exercises, training and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR). They expressed their desire to explore agreements which would facilitate further expansion of bilateral defense cooperation in practical ways. In this regard, they welcomed the finalization of the text of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
17. Noting that the U.S.-India defense relationship can be an anchor of stability, and given the increasingly strengthened cooperation in defense, the United States hereby recognizes India as a Major Defense Partner. As such:

o The United States will continue to work toward facilitating technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners. The leaders reached an understanding under which India would receive license-free access to a wide range of dual-use technologies in conjunction with steps that India has committed to take to advance its export control objectives.
o In support of India's Make In India initiative, and to support the development of robust defense industries and their integration into the global supply chain, the United States will continue to facilitate the export of goods and technologies, consistent with U.S. law, for projects, programs and joint ventures in support of official U.S.-India defense cooperation.
18. The leaders also committed to enhance cooperation in support of the Government of India's Make in India Initiative and expand the co-production and co-development of technologies under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). They welcomed the establishment of new DTTI working groups to include agreed items covering Naval Systems, Air Systems, and other Weapons Systems. The leaders announced the finalization of the text of an Information Exchange Annex under the Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Cooperation.
19. President Obama thanked Prime Minister Modi for his government's support for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) missions in India, including a recovery mission that resulted in the recent repatriation of remains of the United States Service Members missing since the Second World War. The leaders announced their commitment to future DPAA missions.
20. As space faring nations, India and the United States acknowledge that outer space should be an ever expanding frontier of human endeavour, and look forward to deepening their cooperation on earth observation, Mars exploration, space education and manned space flight. The leaders welcomed the progress toward establishment of an ISRO-NASA Heliophysics Working Group as well as toward finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding for exchange of earth observation satellite data.
21. The leaders emphasized that cyberspace enables economic growth and development, and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet, underpinned by the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. They committed to deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and welcomed the understanding reached to finalize the Framework for the U.S.-India Cyber Relationship in the near term. They committed to enhance cyber collaboration on critical infrastructure, cybercrime, and malicious cyber activity by state and non-state actors, capacity building, and cybersecurity research and development, and to continue discussions on all aspects of trade in technology and related services, including market access. They have committed to continue dialogue and engagement in Internet governance fora, including in ICANN, IGF and other venues, and to support active participation by all stakeholders of the two countries in these fora. The leaders committed to promote stability in cyberspace based on the applicability of international law including the United Nations Charter, the promotion of voluntary norms of responsible state behavior during peacetime, and the development and implementation of practical confidence building measures between states.
22. In this context, they affirmed their commitment to the voluntary norms that no country should conduct or knowingly support online activity that intentionally damages critical infrastructure or otherwise impairs the use of it to provide services to the public; that no country should conduct or knowingly support activity intended to prevent national computer security incident response teams from responding to cyber incidents, or use its own teams to enable online activity that is intended to do harm; that every country should cooperate, consistent with its domestic law and international obligations, with requests for assistance from other states in mitigating malicious cyber activity emanating from its territory; and that no country should conduct or knowingly support ICT-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to its companies or commercial sectors

[KrishnaK]

No objection for Japan, S. Korea, Philippines to be part of an Indian led defense co-opeartion framework.

Any sign that Japan, S. Korea or the Philippines want to join an Indian led defense co-operation framework ? Just one of the things that seems outlandish. I'm sure there are more in your post.