India greatest opportunity for US
An expert on South Asia has said Washington needs to build its relationship with India with an eye towards regional and world security.
Describing India as "the greatest under-exploited opportunity" for US foreign policy, an expert on South Asia has said Washington needs to build its relationship with India with an eye towards regional and world security.
"India is the greatest under-exploited opportunity for American foreign policy," Dana R Dillon of the US think tank Heritage Foundation said in the context of the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the US.
Urging the US to build its relationship with India with an eye towards regional and world security, Dillon said the relationship would be valuable for its own sake and should not be thought of as an anti-Chinese alliance.
On the issue of permanent membership of the UN Security Council, Dillon said despite difficulty in getting key resolutions adopted in a 15-member Council, it might be in US' interest to support India's bid for a permanent seat.
"The US should weigh carefully the kind of UN role for India that would be in US national interest, understanding that New Delhi is never going to agree with Washington 100 percent of the time," he said.
If India is important to US foreign policy, Dillon said, opening of the economy should be Washington's first priority in India.
"We do need to take into account the obstacles that still exist. India's economy is growing — make no mistake about it — but it has a long way to go before it will be considered a safe berth for foreign direct investment," he said.