YES,

WE CAN!
President Barack Obama’s recent visit to India was historic. It was
a meeting of minds — of two of the world’s greatest democracies.
Politically and economically, the India-U.S. relationship could
define the global architecture of the 21st century
US-IndIa: PartnerShIP
In FocUS
President Barack Obama’s first visit to India has generated
great excitement and greater expectations in India. With
India-U.S. relations transforming into a robust strategic part-
nership, such widespread sentiments are only natural. Even
two decades ago, it was almost unimaginable that India and
the U.S. could have such a partnership, with shared values of
democracy, basic freedoms, pluralism and rule of law at its core.
In the evolving international situation, these shared values
have guided the world’s largest and the world’s oldest democ-
racies in building a mutually beneficial partnership — in the
interest not only of the two countries but also of the world.
India-U.S. relations have deepened in virtually all areas of
cooperation — trade, investments, education, health, energy,
defense, counterterrorism, space, agriculture, science and
technology and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The India-
U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement has emerged as a centerpiece of
our partnership. It has allowed us to realize the full potential
of our bilateral cooperation and has opened opportunities to
work even closer together in areas like energy security, climate
change and nuclear nonproliferation.
India has assigned two sites for building nuclear reactors, in
cooperation with U.S. companies, and signed the Convention
on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. It is
time now for businesses to take commercial negotiations forward.
India is now a major buyer of U.S. military-technical equip-
ment. We have already concluded contracts worth $4 billion.
These purchases have created 50,000 jobs in the United
States. India has also become a significant export market for
U.S. goods, helping ensure more employment. Discussions for
defense procurements of a similar amount are under way.
India and the United States have instituted regular talks on
issues relating to Afghanistan, East Asia and new global
threats and challenges, including terrorism and nuclear prolif-
eration. We also discuss how we can work together for the de-
velopment of Africa. In the larger Asian and global context,
we have begun bilateral, exploratory meetings on how to as-
sure the safety of the global commons — including maritime
security and protecting both outer space and cyberspace.
Some people have said that the warmth and closeness of the connect
bilateral relations seen during the Bush administration would It was an extraordinary coming together of
not continue. Such doubts are misplaced. There is clear bi- two of the world’s greatest democracies.
partisan support in Washington for a stronger India-U.S. part- An epochal meeting of minds that could forge
nership, just as there is broad political support in India. one of 21st century’s defining partnerships...
What is happening today is continued reinforcement of the
transformation of our relationship — which began during Pres-
ident Bill Clinton’s presidency and gathered steam under
President George W. Bush.
contents
Some have pointed out that issues like outsourcing mark a
new backsliding in relations. But these issues need to be seen
from the right perspective. Two-way trade has doubled in the
past five years and is broadly balanced, including in services.
4
Yes, we can! — An overview
Indian investments of $25 billion over the same period have
directly generated or saved more than 65,000 direct jobs in
the United States and many more indirectly. 16
Our relations are based on a rare level of respect and under- Obama at USIBC Summit:
standing. The world is going through a time of fragile eco- Restrictions on hi-tech exports eased
nomic recovery, and it is understandable that growing
unemployment could create pressures for protectionist meas-
ures. We believe that the way forward lies in creating a posi-
tive-sum game — creating jobs and prosperity in both countries. 22 Getting into groove... First Lady bowls over
Now, as a major leap forward in our partnership, the people
30 Obamas find Humayun’s Tomb ‘spectacular’
of India are keenly looking forward to Obama’s visit. Our
shared values and the tempo of our continuing cooperation 44 Obama addresses Joint Session of Parliament
in diverse areas give us confidence that the president’s visit
will prove to be a milestone — not only in consolidating what 54 India, U.S. to forge strategic partnership
our two nations have accomplished together, but also in pro-
viding a vital opportunity to make further progress in our 62 Indian delicacies wow Obamas at State Banquet
shared international agenda, including genuine reform of in-
ternational institutions to make them reflective of current
38
geopolitical realities and enabling them to deal with future
challenges.
Meera Shankar
Ambassador, November 4, 2010
‘obama is a sincere and a valued friend’
 4 5
OVERVIEW OF A HISTORIC VISIT OVERVIEW OF A HISTORIC VISIT

“ es, we can”, an-

Y
YES,
nounced the head-
line of an Indian daily
the day after the US
President Obama concluded
his historic visit to India on No-
vember 9. Perhaps no other
phrase best sums up the new
dimension that President
Barack Obama has added to
India-US relations during his
four-day Indian sojourn.
Whether we look at it from
the Indian or the American
point of view, India-US relations
have now reached a stage
where the two countries can
WE CAN!
US President Barack Obama’s recent visit to India
jointly raise the “Yes, we can” slo- was historic. It was a meeting of minds — of two
gan popularized by President of the world’s greatest democracies. Politically and
Obama, then Senator Obama,
during his 2008 Presidential
economically, the India-U.S. relationship could
campaign. define the global architecture of the 21st century,
While India welcomes, among says Arjun Sen
other things, President Obama’s
endorsement of India’s wish for a
key role at the UN high table – a
Permanent Seat on the Security
Council – the United States on its part is delighted that
India had hailed President Obama’s idea of making India-
US relations “the defining partnership of the 21st century”.
During his visit, President Obama emphasized that the
partnership that the US had been seeking with India is
both political and economic. By hailing India’s historic role ganized during his visit. “We don’t simply welcome your
of speaking up for the democratic and human rights of rise – as a nation, and a people – we ardently support it.
peoples who cannot do so on their own, and urging India We want to invest in it. And I’m here because I believe
to not only “look East” but also to “engage the East”, Pres- that in our interconnected world, increased commerce be-
ident Obama clearly indicated that the US sees India play- tween the U.S. and India can be and will be a win-win
ing a leadership role in the world in spreading and proposition for both nations,” President Obama said.
upholding the common values shared by the two coun- “… In 2010, trade between our countries is not just a
tries – commitment to democracy and rule of law and re- one-way street of American jobs and companies moving to
spect for fundamental human freedom. India. It is a dynamic, two-way relationship that is creating
At the same time, President Obama strongly underlined jobs, growth, and higher living standards in both our
the key economic role that India could play in reviving the countries. And that is the truth,” President Obama added.
US economy, creating jobs for Americans, and contribut- To achieve this shared goal of growth for both the
ing to the overall economic and financial stability of the economies, President Obama urged India to steadily re-
highly integrated global economy, while at the same time, duce any existing barriers to trade and investment.
reaping for itself the benefits of closer economic, trade In reply, India made clear that she too was willing to say
and investment ties with the United States. “Yes, we can” both politically and economically. At the
“The United States sees Asia – and especially India – as Joint Press Conference held by Prime Minister Dr. Manmo-
a market of the future,” the President declared at a busi- han Singh and President Obama on November 8, 2010,
ness summit between Indian and American businesses or- this was clearly evident. Speaking first, Prime Minister

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

6 7
OVERVIEW OF A HISTORIC VISIT
President Obama is a sincere and a valued friend of our country, and our dis-
cussions have led to a meeting of minds. Ours is a partnership based on com-
mon values... a shared vision of the world... I look forward to working with
the President to realize the enormous potential of this partnership...
US President Obama
and Indian Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh wave to media
after arriving at Air
Force Station in New
Delhi on November 7.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
Singh said: “President Obama yesterday characterized the
India-US partnership as one of the defining and indispen-
sable partnerships of the 21st century. In my discussion
with the President, we have decided to accelerate the
deepening of our ties and to work as equal partners in a
strategic relationship that will positively and decisively in-
fluence world peace, stability and progress.”
The Prime Minister went on to emphasize that “Presi-
dent Obama is a sincere and a valued friend of our coun-
try, and our discussions have led to a meeting of minds.
Ours is a partnership based on common values and inter-
ests, a shared vision of the world, and the deep-rooted ties
of friendship among our two peoples. I look forward to
working with the President to realize the enormous poten-
tial of this partnership of our two countries.”
THE PERSPECTIVE
The first-ever visit of a U.S. President to India, that of
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959, was a big success with the
President spending almost a week in India and enjoying
immense popularity wherever he went. The visit was a
huge success, say old-timers, with Prime Minister Jawahar-
lal Nehru and President Eisenhower getting on very well.
India-US relations were often viewed through the nar-
row prism of geopolitical equations, the Cold War and the
Non-Alignment Movement (NAM), and India’s alliance with
the erstwhile Soviet Union during the first three decades
of her independence. What is often ignored is the eco-
nomic basis of this relationship.
“In 1951, India formally initiated its development pro-
gram with the launch of the First Five-Year Plan. The
United States, which was by then the undisputed leader of
the free world, had high hopes of India. The consensus
view in the US was that whereas East Asian economies,
such as the Republic of Korea, were likely to turn into
basket cases, India and Africa would quickly grow out of
poverty. The scholarly community also shared this US gov-
ernment view,” writes internationally reputed US econo-
mist of Indian origin Arvind Panagariya in his book India:
The Emerging Giant.
“Yet, by 1980, the tables had been turned. In the early
1960s, the Republic of Korea decisively switched from an
inward-looking, import substitution industrialization strat-
egy to a policy of aggressive outward orientation. The re-
sults were spectacular: Its per capita gross domestic
OVERVIEW OF A HISTORIC VISIT
FROM
THE ARCHIVES…
President Barack Obama’s visit to India was the sixth by a U.S. President since
Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first to come visiting more than 50 years ago.
Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were the other
U.S. presidents to visit India.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Eisenhower came calling in December 1959 during his Asia tour. In his address to the Indian
Parliament, he spoke of “a great awakening” in which the world has come to recognize “that
only under a rule of moral law can all of us realize our noblest aspirations”. India’s first Prime
Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru hosted Eisenhower. In his arrival message, Eisenhower said: “In
fulfilling a desire of many years, I pay in person America’s tribute to Indian people, to their
culture, to their progress and to their strength among independent nations.”
RICHARD NIXON
Richard Nixon was the second President to visit India. Making a one-day trip in July 1969,
President Nixon was hosted by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
JIMMY CARTER
In January 1978, Jimmy Carter was the third President to visit India. A peanut farmer,
President Carter visited Daulatpur village in Haryana. Carter’s mother Lillian Gordy Carter used
to be a regular guest at the village headman’s house when she worked in India as a Peace
Corps volunteer. Carter and First Lady Rosalynn visited the home where Lillian had stayed
and presented the village with its first television set. Daulatpur was renamed Carterpuri to
commemorate the presidential visit. Prime Minister Morarji Desai was India’s Prime Minister then.
BILL CLINTON
In March 2000, Bill Clinton became the fourth U.S. president to visit India. Accompanied by
daughter Chelsea Clinton, his five-day trip was the longest by a U.S. President. President
Clinton’s visit also marked a watershed in India-U.S. relations, with trade and business driving
the relationship to a new high.
GEORGE W. BUSH
George W. Bush was the fifth U.S. President to visit India, in March 2006. An ardent supporter
of India, President Bush in a speech at New Delhi’s historic Purana Qila said: “In my country,
some focus only on one aspect of our trade relationship with India: outsourcing. It’s true that
some Americans have lost jobs when their companies moved operations overseas... Some
people believe the answer to this problem is to wall off our economy from the world through
protectionist policies. I strongly disagree... We’re helping to create millions of new jobs in both
our countries by embracing the opportunities of a global economy…”
INDIA REVIEW 2010
8 9
OVERVIEW OF A HISTORIC VISIT
product (GDP) grew at an average annual rate of more
than 6 percent and in two decades till the end of the
1970s, it virtually eliminated poverty as conventionally
measured. In contrast, India turned progressively inward,
embarked upon a major expansion of the public sector,
and subjected the private sector to strict investment li-
censing. The result was an average annual growth in per
capita GDP of just a little above 1 percent during the
1960s and 1970s. There was no change in the trend of
the proportion of the population living
below the official poverty line and with the
population growing more than 2 percent The successful visit of President Eisenhower was
per annum, the absolute number of poor based on the promise and potential that India
rose,” writes Panagariya. held out to the rest of the world as a function-
As economists such as Panagariya, or so ing democracy with a mixed economy...
many other political commentators have
pointed out, the successful visit of President
Eisenhower was based on the promise and potential that
India held out to the rest of the world as a functioning
democracy with a mixed economy which despite being
based on the notion of building a “socialistic pattern of
society” also accepted the benefits that dynamic entrepre-
neurship can generate in a growing economy.
It is, therefore, not surprising that as long as India adopted
a near-autarchic trade policy with emphasis on self-reliance
at the cost of imbibing the latest available technologies and
production processes, and a more important role for the
INDIA REVIEW 2010
President Obama shaking hands
with Indian students after an in-
teraction at St. Xavier’s College in
Mumbai on November 7, 2010.
public sector rather than the private sector, there was little
economic basis for closer India-U.S. relations. Consequently,
there was little incentive either on the part of the Indian or
the American establishments to address the gap that existed
and to build the necessary political bridges that would bring
the two countries closer to each other.
No wonder then that in the 53 years of independence till
2000, only three US Presidents visited India — Richard Nixon
in 1969, Jimmy Carter in 1978 and, of course, Eisenhower in
1959. But since President Bill Clinton’s visit in 2000, there
have been two more presidential visits in just the last decade.
By 2000, India had opened up her economy and
adopted market oriented policies that encouraged private
entrepreneurship. The consequences: the emergence of
India as a major global power in information technology, a
sharp rise in the country’s tele-density with the onset of
the mobile phone revolution, a major thrust on infrastruc-
ture by the Indian government as a facilitator rather than
as a market interventionist and of course, a sharp rise in
The Clinton visit was recognition of all these changes on the economic front.
As a commentator pointed out: “For the first time, a visiting U.S. President
was accompanied by a large business delegation. President Clinton even
addressed two different gatherings of businessmen during his visit.
India’s overall growth rate. The reforms in the country’s
public sector also unlocked huge resources that had hith-
erto been either under-utilized or not utilized at all.
The Clinton visit was recognition of all these changes on
the economic front. As a commentator pointed out: “For the
first time, a visiting U.S. President was accompanied by a
large business delegation. President Clinton even addressed
two different gatherings of businessmen during his visit.”
But even as times were changing in India, American per-
ceptions of India too underwent a transformation. Al-
though the US had imposed sanctions on India following
its nuclear test in 1998, by the time President Clinton
came to India, “the idea of isolating India had run out of
steam”, says G. Parthasarathy, a former Indian diplomat.
“Also, it was then that the prowess of the Indian IT in-
dustry and the creativity of Indians in the US had woken
up the American administration. Matters of economy au-
tomatically worked themselves into bilateral negotiations
rather than because of any concerted effort from either
side,” says Parthasarathy. The need for greater economic
cooperation between the two countries and greater trade
and investment flows between the business communities
of the two countries began to impact political perceptions.
While President Clinton was the first to move the U.S.
toward neutrality in India-Pakistan disagreements, the next
visit by President George W. Bush led to the de-hyphen-
ation of India and Pakistan in U.S. perceptions apart from
imparting a monumental improvement in India-US rela-
tions, thanks to the inking of the landmark civil nuclear
cooperation agreement.
THE NEW ARCHITECTURE
The third Presidential visit to India within a decade, that
of President Obama, has probably opened the door for
much vaster India-U.S. cooperation and engagement.
The rise of India as a major global economic power has
been a key determinant. Today, the US needs India as
much as India needs America.
Today, the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s
largest democracy see eye to eye on a vast swathe of politi-
cal and economic issues.
On the conclusion of President Obama’s visit, Prime
Minister Dr. Singh has said as much. Asked about his rap-
port and friendship with both President Bush as well as
OVERVIEW OF A HISTORIC VISIT
President Obama and the
First Lady Michelle Obama
being welcomed by the
Indian Ambassador to the
U.S. Meera Shankar, on their
arrival, at Chhatrapati Shivaji
International Airport, in Mum-
bai, on November 6. Minister
of State (Independent Charge)
for Corporate Affairs and
Minority Affairs Salman
Khurshid is also seen.
President Obama, Dr. Singh said it had everything to do with
India’s rise as an economic power, and that what he was today
was because of what the country had made him.
“President George Bush’s attraction for India is really a tribute
to India and I find the same thing in President Obama,” the
Prime Minister told journalists aboard his special aircraft while
returning from the G-20 summit in Seoul.
“When the first time I met him, President Bush introduced me
to his wife and said: ‘Laura, do you know of any other country of
1.2 billion people committed to democracy, committed to re-
spect for fundamental human freedom, committed to the rule of
law and yet doing well in terms of the development agenda’?”
Perhaps, he said, the same applied to Obama. “His speech
to our Parliament, his idea of India that he talked about in his
speeches, is a reflection of the uniqueness of India as a func-
tioning democracy, committed to the rule of law, committed to
respect for fundamental human freedoms and yet managing
to grow at a respectable rate,” the Prime Minister said. “So,
this is a tribute to India and not a tribute to me. What I am is
because what India has made me.”
Thus, if today, both India and the US are ready to sing the
same tune and say “yes we can”, it is because India has emerged
and is ready to demand and get in return respect and equal
treatment that one friend can demand and get from another.
President Obama’s visit was, therefore, historic. Today, the
people of both the countries can expect these two great
democracies to increasingly be on the same page, both eco-
nomically and politically.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
10
REMEMBERING 26/11 TERROR VICTIMS
The full text of his
remarks:
“On behalf of Michelle and
myself, I want to say what an
extraordinary honor it is to
be here in India. I want to
thank the people of Mumbai
and all of you here today for
your extraordinarily warm
welcome. And I want to say
to the people of India how
much we are looking for-
ward to spending the next
three days in this remark-
able country and to deepen-
ing the partnership between
our two countries.
I know there’s been a
great deal of commentary on
our decision to begin our
visit here in this dynamic
city, at this historic hotel.
And to those who have
asked whether this is in-
tended to send a message,
my answer is simply, ab-
solutely. Mumbai is a sym-
OBAMA
bol of the incredible energy
and optimism that defines
India in the 21st century.
PAYS
And ever since those horrific
days two years ago, the Taj
has been the symbol of the
strength and the resilience
HOMAGE TO
of the Indian people.
So, yes, we visit here to
send a very clear message
TERROR VICTIMS
that in our determination to
give our people a future of
security and prosperity, the
United States and India
stand united.
Paying tributes to the victims of Mumbai terror attacks, President A few moments ago,
Obama said, “We’ll never forget the awful images of 26/11, including Michelle and I had the op-
portunity to visit the memo-
the flames from this hotel that lit up the night sky” rial here and to honor the
memory of those who were
lost. And we also had the
privilege of meeting with
some of their families, as well
as some of the courageous
INDIA REVIEW 2010
survivors. I thank them all
for joining us here today,
along with so many others
who endured the anguish of
those four days in November.
We'll never forget the
awful images of 26/11, in-
cluding the flames from this
hotel that lit up the
night sky.
We’ll never forget how the
world, including the Ameri-
can people watched and
grieved with all of India.
But the resolve and the
resilience of the Indian peo-
ple during those attacks
stood in stark contrast to
the savagery of the terrorists.
The murderers came to kill
innocent civilians that day.
But those of you here risked
everything to save human
lives.
You were strangers who
helped strangers; hostages
who worked together to
break free and escape; hotel
staff who stayed behind to
escort guests to safety; in-
cluding the hotel manager,
even after he lost his own
family; a nanny who braved
the bullets to protect a young
boy; and Indians in uniform
who stopped the carnage
REMEMBERING 26/11 TERROR VICTIMS
and whose colleagues made
the ultimate sacrifice.
The perpetrators wanted
to pit believers of different
faiths against one another.
But they failed. Because
here in Mumbai, the diversity
that is India’s strength was
on full display: Hindus,
Sikhs, Christians, Jews and
Muslims protecting each
other, saving each other,
living the common
truth of all the world’s
great religions, that
we are all children of
God.
Those who at-
tacked Mumbai
wanted to demoral-
ize this city and this
country. But they
failed. Because the very
next day, Mumbaikars came
back to work. Hotel staff re-
ported for their shifts.
Workers returned to their
businesses. And within
weeks, this hotel was once
again welcoming guests
from around the world.
By striking the places
where our countries and
people come together, those
who perpetrated these hor-
rific attacks hoped to drive
us apart. But just as Indian
citizens lost their lives on
9/11, American citizens lost
their lives here on 26/11 —
along with the citizens of
many nations. And just as
our people prayed together
at candlelight vigils, our gov-
ernments have worked
closer than ever, sharing in-
telligence, preventing more
attacks, and demanding that
the perpetrators be brought
to justice.
Indeed, today, the United
11
States and India are working
together more closely than
ever to keep our people safe.
And I look forward to deep-
ening our counterterrorism
cooperation even further
when I meet with Prime
Minister Singh in New Delhi.
We go forward with confi-
dence, knowing that history
is on our side. Because
those who target the inno-
cent, they offer nothing but
death and destruction.
What we seek to build — to
welcome people of different
faiths and backgrounds, and
to offer our citizens a future
of dignity and opportunity.
That is the spirit of the gate-
way behind us, which in its
architecture reflects all the
beauty and strength of dif-
ferent faiths and traditions,
and which has welcomed
people to this city for a
century.
That is the hope that in
towns and villages across
India, across this vast nation,
leads people to board
crowded trains and set out
to forge their futures in this
city of dreams. And that is
the shared determination of
India and the United States
— two partners that will never
waver in our defense of our
people or the democratic
values that we share.
For just as your first Prime
Minister said the day that
the father of your nation
was taken from you, we shall
never allow that torch of
freedom to be blown out,
however high the wind or
stormy the tempest. We be-
lieve that in America, and we
know you believe it here in
India.”
INDIA REVIEW 2010
12
OBAMAS’ TRYST WITH GANDHI LEGACY
OBAMA
VISITS
MANI
BHAVAN
The US President describes Mahatma Gandhi as a “hero not
just to India, but to the world”
ahatma
M Gandhi is a
“hero not just
to India but to
the world”, US President
Obama wrote in the visitor’s
book after spending an en-
grossed half hour touring
Mani Bhavan in Mumbai
where the apostle of ahimsa
(non-violence) used to stay.
In remarks in the visitor’s
book, Obama wrote: “I am
filled with hope and inspira-
tion as I have the privilege to
view this testament to
Gandhi’s life. He is a hero, not
just to India, but to the world.”
President Obama’s wife
Michelle, who was with him,
wrote below: “This visit will
be one that I will always
treasure. The life and teach-
ings of Gandhi must be
shared with our children
around the world.” The presi-
dent and his wife also read
the remarks written by Amer-
ican civil rights leader Martin
Luther King, who stayed at
the two-storey building on
Laburnum Road in May
1959.
President Obama and the
INDIA REVIEW 2010
13
OBAMAS’ TRYST WITH GANDHI LEGACY
The Obamas write their
comments in the Mani
Bhavan guest book (Left).
The Bhavan’s Director
Usha Thakkar takes the
Obamas around the her-
itage site where Mahatma
Gandhi had spent several
years of his life.
The Obamas visited the room where Gandhi lived and
interacted with the trustees. They also saw the museum
with tableaux depicting several scenes from Gandhi’s life.
First Lady visited all the orary Director Dr. Usha The Bhavan has preserved
rooms of Mani Bhavan, his Thakkar, who took them on a Gandhi’s spinning wheel and
second stop in the city after tour of Mani Bhavan. other belongings. The build-
speaking at the Taj Hotel. Earlier, the Obamas were ing was owned by Gandhi’s
While Obama was attired in greeted at Mani Bhavan with friend and follower
a black suit with a white garlands. All the parallel Revashankar Jagjeevan
shirt and blue tie, Michelle roads leading to Mani Bha- Jhaveri.
was wearing a grey dress with van were cordoned off several In 1955, it was taken over
a three-string pearl necklace hours before the visit. About by the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi
around her neck. 300 people visit the library and later became a heritage
The Obamas visited the and the museum everyday. building.
room where Gandhi lived
and interacted with the
trustees. They also saw the
museum with tableaux de-
picting several scenes from
Gandhi’s life.
The Honorary Director
Gandhi stayed in of Mani Bhavan Dr Usha
Thakkar greets US First
Mani Bhavan from Lady Michelle Obama
1917 to 1934. He during the US First
Couple’s visit to the
was assassinated heritage building.
in New Delhi on
January 30, 1948. The mu-
seum houses rare memora-
bilia and 50,000 books. After
writing in the visitor’s book,
Michelle spoke to the Hon-
INDIA REVIEW 2010
14
MEETING WITH CEOS’ FORUM IN MUMBAI
isiting US President Barack
V
Obama addressed an India-
US CEOs’ Forum at Trident
Hotel, Nariman Point, Mum-
bai, which was one of the hotels that
came under attack during the 26/11
terrorist attacks in the city.
The full text of the
President’s speech:
“Well, thank you very much, everybody,
for joining us. I’m going to be very brief
here today. This is partly because I’ve
got a long speech that will immediately
follow this.
But as I emphasized before I left the
United States, one of the biggest priorities
on this trip is to highlight the degree to
which US economic success, US job cre-
ation, US economic growth is going to be
tied to our working with, cooperating with,
establishing commercial ties with the
fastest-growing economies in the world.
And no country represents that promise of
a strong, vibrant commercial relationship
more acutely than India.
Obviously anybody who comes to
Mumbai is struck by the incredible en-
ergy and drive and entrepreneurial spirit
that exists here. This is a commercial
town and this is an increasingly commer-
cial nation. And it is so important for
not just US companies but US workers
to recognize these incredible opportuni-
ties and hopefully for Indian workers and
Indian companies to recognize the op-
portunities for them as well.
So often when we talk about trade
and commercial relationships, the ques-
tion is who’s winning and who’s losing.
This is a classic situation in which we
can all win. And I’m going to make it
one of my primary tasks during the next
three days to highlight all the various
ways in which we’ve got an opportunity I
think to put Americans back to work,
see India grow its infrastructure, its net-
works, its capacity to continue to grow at
a rapid pace. And we can do that to-
gether, but only if both sides recognize
these opportunities.
So rather than speak about these pos-
sibilities in the abstract, I’ve been having
INDIA REVIEW 2010
INDIA
KEY
TO US
GROWTH:
OBAMA
In his interactions with captains of Indian
and US industries in Mumbai, President
Obama emphasised that India-US business
relations are a two-way street
a terrific conversation with some US
CEOs who are already doing a lot of
work here in India. I just had a chance
to meet some young Indian entrepre-
neurs, as well as US and Indian compa-
nies that are joint-venturing to take US
technology and apply it in new ways
here in India, using new business and
innovative business models.
But what I’m really excited about is
the fact that we’re actually doing some
business while we’re here. And so be-
fore I turn it over to some of the compa-
nies, I’d like Minister Sharma to just say
a few words and thank him and the en-
tire Indian government for the incredible
hospitality that’s already been shown to
me during the few hours since I’ve ar-
rived, and I’m very much looking forward
to the remaining days ahead.
After the address of President Obama,
the Indian Minister of Commerce and
Industry Anand Sharma spoke on the
occasion.
Here is the full text of
Sharma’s speech:
Thank you, Excellency, President
Obama. I’m very privileged to welcome
you on behalf of the government and
people of the Republic of India. Your
visit has a special significance, because
after many missed opportunities in our
engagement as two nations, there has
been a historic embrace.
We watched with admiration your
election, your commitment, your refer-
ences to the values espoused by the fa-
ther of the Indian nation, Mahatma
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, the civil
rights movement, and to speak for human
dignity and the values associated.
Our two countries share a lot. And in
the 21st century, there are expectations
that these two countries, which have a
shared commitment to democracy, to
human rights, pluralistic society, multi-
cultural, multireligious, multiethnic, can
15
MEETING WITH CEOS’ FORUM IN MUMBAI
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group chair-
man Anil Ambani (L), General Electric
CEO Jeffrey Immelt (2L), US President
Barack Obama (C), President Boeing
Military Aircraft Christopher Chadwick
(2R) and Spicejet Airways director
Bhupendra Kansagra (R) look on as
Presicdent Obama speaks at the CEOs’
Forum in Mumbai on November 6.
define the course, as the global architec-
ture, political and economic, changes.
We welcome what you have said as
you embarked for India about doubling
the trade, but also increase jobs. By
So often when enhanced economic engagement both
we talk about will happen. India has reached a stage
trade and where I can say not with optimism but
commercial without any hesitation that this is a
relationships, country of limitless opportunities for
the question is your industry, for your investors to
who’s winning engage in.
and who’s At the same time, both our countries
losing. This is are fortunate that we have human re-
a classic sources. US has institutions, US has
situation in strengths in innovation, in high-end
which we can technologies, and it can be greatly re-
all win. And warding for both our countries.
I’m going to My Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan
highlight all Singh, and the chairperson of the ruling
the various coalition, Sonia Gandhi, has specifically
ways in which asked me to convey the warm greetings
we’ve got an and welcome to you. We hope your visit
opportunity to will be a path-breaking one, clearly
put Americans defining the road map of the coopera-
back to work. tion between the two big democracies of
the world.
Thank you.
After these two speeches CEOs pres-
ent in the meeting shared their views.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
16 17
USIBC SUMMIT USIBC SUMMIT

RESTRICTIONS
ON
HI-TECH
EXPORTS
EASED
In his address at USIBC, President Obama
talks of a new paradigm in the business
and economic relationship between India
and the United States...

ddressing the US-India Business Council and Entrepreneurship Summit at Trident Nari-

A man Point Hotel, Mumbai on November 6, President Obama made the announcement to
remove restrictions on sensitive hi-tech exports, even as he declared deals worth $15 bil-
lion that would support some 54,000 American jobs and seek to answer critics back home.
Obama said all the right things that would please Indians even as he told his audience back home
to shed old stereotypes about the country as growing ties with India would benefit both nations, which
he said were set for a “defining and indispensable partnership of the 21st century”.
“We not only welcome India’s rise, but we ardently support it,” the President told the business sum-
mit at Oberoi’s Trident Hotel — one of the targets of the 26/11 attackers that struck Mumbai — on the
first day of his four-day visit to India, the first halt in a four-nation Asian tour.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

18
USIBC SUMMIT
Excerpts:
“Good afternoon, everyone.
Namaste. Thank you all for
an extraordinarily warm wel-
come. And before I get
started, I just want to ac-
knowledge some outstanding
public servants, some won-
derful dignitaries who are in
the room. Anand Sharma,
our Commerce and Industry
Minister here in India. (Ap-
plause.) Khurshid Salman,
the Minister of Corporate Af-
fairs and Minority Affairs,
who’s here. (Applause.)
Dr. Montek Singh
Ahluwalia, State Planning
Commission Deputy Chair-
man. (Applause.) Gary Locke,
who is the Secretary of Com-
merce for the United States.
(Applause.) Terry McGraw, the
chairman of the US-India
Business Council. (Applause.)
Hari Bhartia, the president of
President Obama and
Anand Mahindra, Vice
Chairman and Managing
Director of Mahindra &
Mahindra Ltd., at the
USIBC meet in Mumbai.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
the Confederation of Indian
Industries. (Applause.) And
Rajan Bharti Mittal, president
of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry. (Applause)
On behalf of my wife
Michelle and myself, thank
you to the people of Mumbai
and the people of India for
the incredible hospitality you
have shown just in the few
hours since I’ve arrived in this
magnificent country.
We are especially honored
to be here as you celebrate
Diwali. (Applause) Some of
you may know this. Last year,
I was honored to become the
first American President to
help celebrate the Festival of
Lights in the White House.
(Applause.) And I know that
today, families are lighting
their Diyas and giving thanks
for their blessings and look-
ing ahead to the new year. So
to all of you who are observ-
ing this sacred holiday here
and around the world, Happy
Diwali and a Saal Mubarak..
I want to thank all the or-
ganizations that have brought
us together today, as well as
the business leaders, the
CEOs, the government offi-
cials who have joined us here.
I just had some incredibly
productive discussions with
American business leaders
and Indian entrepreneurs,
and today I want to speak
with you about why we all
benefit from the strengthen-
ing ties between our nations.
This is my first trip to India,
but this will be my longest
visit to another country since
becoming President.. And
that’s because I believe that
the relationship between the
United States and India will
be one of the defining and in-
dispensable partnerships of
the 21st century.
Our nations are the two
largest democracies on Earth.
We are bound by a common
language and common val-
ues; shared aspirations and a
shared belief that opportunity
should be limited only by
how hard you’re willing to
work, only by how hard you
are willing to try. Trade and
commerce between our peo-
ple has been happening for
centuries — even before we
were independent nations. In-
dian immigrants crossed
oceans to work on farms in
the United States, and later
generations came to practice
medicine, and do cutting-
edge research, and to start
businesses. American re-
searchers partnered with In-
dian scientists to launch the
Green Revolution that trans-
formed life for generations of
Indians. Americans have
helped build India, and India
has helped to build America.
Today, your country is one
of the fastest-growing
economies in the world. And
while there are many amaz-
ing success stories and rap-
idly expanding markets in
Asia, the sheer size and pace
of India’s progress in just two
decades is one of the most
stunning achievements in
human history. This is a fact..
Since your reform of the li-
censing raj and embrace of
the global economy, India has
lifted tens of millions of peo-
ple from poverty and created
one of the largest middle
classes on the planet.
You are now a nation of
rapid growth and rising in-
comes and massive invest-
ments in infrastructure and
energy and education. In the
coming decades, you will be
the world’s most populous
nation, with the largest work-
force and one of the largest
economies in the world. Now,
undoubtedly, that means that
the U.S. and India will engage
in a healthy competition for
markets and jobs and indus-
tries of the future. But it also
offers the prospect of ex-
panded commercial ties that
benefit both countries.
The United States sees
Asia — and especially India —
as a market of the future. We
don’t simply welcome your
rise — as a nation, and a peo-
ple — we ardently support it.
We want to invest in it. And
I’m here because I believe
that in our interconnected
world, increased commerce
between the United States
and India can be and will be
a win-win proposition for
both nations...
In 2010, trade between our
countries is not just a one-
way street of American jobs
and companies moving to
India. It is a dynamic, two-way
relationship that is creating
jobs, growth, and higher living
standards in both our coun-
tries. And that is the truth.
As we look to India today,
the United States sees an op-
portunity to sell our exports
in one of the fastest-growing
Today, your markets in the world. For
country is one America, this is a jobs strat-
of the fastest- egy. As we recover from this
growing recession, we are determined
economies in to rebuild our economy on a
the world. And new, stronger foundation for
while there are growth. And part of that
many amazing foundation involves doing
success stories what America has always
and rapidly been known for — discovering
expanding and creating and building the
markets in products that are sold all over
Asia, the sheer the world. That’s why I’ve set a
size and pace goal of doubling America’s ex-
of India’s ports over the next five years
progress in just because for every $1 billion
two decades is in exports, thousands of jobs
one of the are supported at home. And
most stunning already, our exports to India
achievements have quadrupled in recent
in human years, growing much faster
history. than our exports to many
other countries. The goods
we sell in this country cur-
rently support tens of thou-
sands of manufacturing jobs
across the United States —
from California and Washing-
ton to Pennsylvania and
Florida. And that doesn’t even
include all the American jobs
supported by our other ex-
ports to India — from agricul-
ture to travel to educational
services.
As we speak, American-
made machinery is helping
India improve its infrastruc-
19
USIBC SUMMIT
ture, including the new air-
port here in Mumbai where I
landed this morning... A grow-
ing number of American-
made aircraft are taking flight
in your skies. And soon, there
will be more.
That’s because today, just
moments before I arrived
here, several landmark deals
were sealed between the U.S.
and India. Boeing, one of
America’s largest companies,
is on track to sell India
dozens of commercial and
cargo aircraft. General Elec-
tric, another American com-
pany, will sell more than a
hundred advanced jet en-
gines. And I’m pleased that
two U.S. firms are finalists for
a major locomotive tender.
Now, these are just a few of
the more than 20 deals being
announced today, totaling
nearly $10 billion.
From medical equipment
and helicopters to turbines
and mining equipment,
American companies stand
ready to support India’s grow-
ing economy, the needs of
your people, and your ability
to defend this nation. And
today’s deals will lead to more
than 50,000 jobs in the
United States — 50,000 jobs...
Now, these are major deals
that are significant for both
our nations. But our trade re-
lationship is not just about
what America sells India. It’s
also about Indian investment
in America is doing. Indian
investment in America is
among the fastest growing of
any country. In recent years,
Indian companies have in-
vested billions of dollars in
the United States — in Ameri-
can machinery, manufactur-
ing, mining, research,
technology. Today, these in-
INDIA REVIEW 2010
20
USIBC SUMMIT
vestments support tens of
thousands of American jobs.
Hundreds of American
companies — including many
small businesses — are invest-
ing in India; not just in
telecommunications, but in
industries from clean energy
to agriculture. This means
more choices for Indian con-
sumers and more jobs for In-
dians and Americans.
Our relationship is also
about more than the goods
that we sell or the invest-
ments we make — it’s about
the innovative partnerships
we forge in the name of
progress. Before I came here,
I had a fascinating meeting. I
met with business leaders
from both our countries, in-
cluding some young Indian
entrepreneurs. And what’s fas-
cinating is the way that they
are now partnering to take
technology that has had one
application and use in the
U.S. and found entirely new
uses and new businesses
models here, in India.
They’re working together to
make cell towers across India
that can run on solar, and
not diesel. They’re putting
American technology into In-
dian electric cars. They’re try-
ing to develop better drugs
for diseases like malaria...
These are examples of Ameri-
can companies doing well
and Indian companies doing
well. And these partnerships
remind us that by pursuing
trade and commerce, we are
unleashing the most powerful
force the world has ever
known for eradicating poverty
and creating opportunity —
and that’s broad-based eco-
nomic growth.
Now, despite all this
progress, the economic rela-
INDIA REVIEW 2010
And these
partnerships
remind us that
by pursuing
trade and
commerce, we
are unleashing
the most
powerful force
the world has
ever known
for eradicating tionship between the United
poverty and States and India is still one of
creating enormous untapped poten-
opportunity — tial. Of all the goods that
and that’s India imports, less than 10
broad-based percent come from the
economic United States. Of all the
growth. goods that America exports
to the world, less than 2 per-
cent go to India. Our entire
trade with your country is still
less than our trade with the
Netherlands — this is a coun-
try with a smaller population
than the city of Mumbai. As a
result, India is only our 12th
largest trade partner.
I have no doubt that we
can do better than that — we
can do much better. There’s
no reason this nation can’t be
one of our top trading part-
ners. And that’s why we want
to work together with you to
remove the barriers to in-
creased trade and investment
between our nations.
In the United States, we’re
committed to doing our part.
With India and our other
G20 partners, we’ve resisted
the protectionism that would
have plunged the global
economy even deeper into re-
cession. Today, our country
remains one of the most
open economies in the world.
And while I make no apolo-
gies about doing whatever it
takes to encourage job cre-
ation and business invest-
ment in America, I still work
to make sure our efforts don’t
unfairly target companies and
workers from this nation or
any nation.
And to further increase our
exports to places like India,
we’re marshalling the full re-
sources of the United States
government to help our com-
panies sell their goods and
services in other markets.
We’re increasing export fi-
nancing for small and
medium-sized businesses.
We’re being a better advocate
for our businesses. We’re in-
creasing our trade missions.
In fact, my Secretary of Com-
merce, Gary Locke, will be
leading another trade mission
to India in the next few
months. And we’re reforming
our export control system, so
that even as we strengthen
our national security, we
make sure that unnecessary
barriers don’t stand in the
way of high-tech trade be-
tween our countries.
Today, I’m pleased to an-
nounce that we will work
with India to fundamentally
reform our controls on ex-
ports, which will allow
greater cooperation in a
range of high-tech sectors
and strengthen our nonpro-
liferation efforts.
So we’re taking the neces-
sary steps to strengthen this
relationship. India can also
do its part. Over the past two
decades, it has become much
easier for companies to do
business and invest here in
India. It was striking talking to
some of the American CEOs
who are here who’ve come
frequently over decades and
seen the incredible progress
that’s been made...
Today, India is making
major investments in its infra-
structure and creating greater
transparency to support
21
USIBC SUMMIT
growth and entrepreneurship. ready begun to do that... decades, it has been people
Going forward, that commit- I’m confident because we who have driven our progress.
ment must be matched by a both recognize that knowl- It is individual men and
steady reduction in barriers to edge is the currency of the fu- women like you who put their
trade and foreign investment ture, and that we must give shoulder to the wheel of his-
– from agriculture to infra- our children the skills and ed- tory and push. An American
structure, from retail to ucation that success requires scientist who discovers an
telecommunications. Because in a global economy. agricultural breakthrough.
in a global economy, new And I’m confident because An Indian engineer who
growth and jobs flow to coun- our countries are blessed with builds the next-generation
tries that lower barriers to the most effective form of electric car. A small business
trade and investment. government the world has owner in Detroit who sells his
These are steps we can ever known: democracy. product to a new company in
take together to strengthen Even if it can be slow at New Delhi. And all the Mum-
the economic ties between times. Even if it can be baikars who get up every day
our nations – ties that hold messy... in this City of Dreams to
incredible
promise for
our people –
the promise of
new jobs, new
industries and We must admit it won’t always be an easy
new growth. road, but as I stand here today, I can tell
Whether or you that I’m absolutely confident we will
not that meet this challenge because in our two
promise is ful- nations, I see the fundamental ingredients
filled depends to success in the 21st century...
on us – on
the decisions
we make and
the partner-
ship we build in the coming For we know that when forge a better life for their
years. governments are accountable children...
We must admit it won’t al- to their people, their people This is the spirit of opti-
ways be an easy road, but as I are more likely to prosper; mism and determination that
stand here today, I can tell and that, over the long run, has driven our people since
you that I’m absolutely confi- democracy and economic before we were nations – the
dent we will meet this chal- growth, freedom in the politi- same spirit that will drive our
lenge because in our two cal sphere and freedom in future. And that’s why I’m
nations, I see the fundamen- the economic sphere go hand thrilled to be in India and
tal ingredients to success in in hand. We believe that. with you here today. And
the 21st century. What gives me the most that’s why I’m confident that
I’m confident because we confidence about our future we can and will forge new
both cherish the entrepre- is our greatest resource – the economic partnerships and
neurial spirit that empowers drive and ingenuity of our deliver the jobs and broad-
innovation and risk-taking, people: workers and entrepre- based growth that our peo-
and allows them to turn a neurs — students and innova- ples so richly deserve.
good idea into a new product tors; Indians and Americans, And I am absolutely certain
or company that changes the including the nearly 3 million that the relationship between
world. And we have exam- Indian Americans who bind the United States and India is
ples of Indian entrepreneurs our nations together. going to be one of the defin-
and American entrepreneurs For despite all the sweep- ing partnerships of the 21st
sitting right here who’ve al- ing changes of the last few century.”
INDIA REVIEW 2010
22 23
MICHELLE OBAMA MINGLES WITH SPECIAL CHILDREN MICHELLE OBAMA MINGLES WITH SPECIAL CHILDREN

US First Lady Mitchelle

Obama participates in a
cultural event with students
and volunteers from the
Make A Difference (MAD)
NGO, at the Mumbai Univer-
sity campus in Mumbai on
November 6, 2010.

FIRST LADY
BOWLS
US First lady Michelle
Obama greets students
and volunteers from
the Make A Difference
(MAD) NGO, at the
Mumbai University
campus in Mumbai
on November 6, 2010
during a cultural event.

In a spontaneous display of indulgence, the US First Lady joins the Mumbai

children, taking to the dancing floor with elegant ease

he did a little jig to a Looking relaxed, she took hugged the children and sat children thumped on little

S
US First lady Michelle
Obama dances to a
Bollywood film song Bollywood number,
during an interaction thumped the tam-
with students from the
Make A Difference bourine and even
(MAD) NGO, at the
Mumbai University played hopscotch barefoot!
campus in Mumbai
on November 6, 2010. US First Lady Michelle
Obama certainly conquered
hearts with her spontaneity
as she mingled with special
children at a Mumbai event
on November 6, 2010.
Dressed in an olive green
top and a grey knee-length
skirt, Michelle Obama, 46,
had a casual, fun-filled inter-
action with the kids at the
Mumbai University library in
an event organised by an
NGO.
off her shoes — even as scores
of photographers clicked on
furiously — and played hop-
scotch with the kids cheering
her on. She even broke into a
jig, as the hit song ‘Rang De
Basanti’ from the Bollywood
blockbuster by the same
name came on.
“I love dancing,” said the
First Lady, who has two
daughters — Malia, 12, and
Sasha, 9. And sure enough,
she took dancing cues from
the children in attempting
some bhangra-like moves!
Bringing a touch of com-
passion, the First Lady
with them talking about the
importance of education.
“Working hard, studying
and having courage are the
important things in life. We
did not have a lot of money,
but it was because of work-
ing hard — I could never
imagine being first lady of the
US — that when time came to
do this, I was ready,” she told
the children.
Chatting them up, sitting
with them in a circle, it
seemed like she had known
them forever. She comfort-
ably kept beat on a tam-
bourine as some of the
drums. The wide grin on her
face was hard to miss as
everyone worked up a little
musical crescendo.
Enthralled by the First
Lady’s warmth, 13-year-old
Johny David, one of the chil-
dren who got to be up close
with the First Lady, said: “She
was like a dream to me”.
The event was organised
by the NGO Making a Differ-
ence (MAD). While the First
Lady interacted with the
children, President Obama
was talking business with in-
dustry executives in another
part of the city.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

24
OBAMAS VISIT HOLY NAME SCHOOL, MUMBAI
OBAMAS
FOLK MUSIC
For the students of Holy Name School in Mumbai,
the visit of the US First Family was the best
Diwali gift that they could ask for
t was a swinging start to
I the day for the Obamas
on November 7, 2010,
with both the President
and his wife shaking a leg
with children at the Holy
Name School in Mumbai as
a Marathi folk tune played in
the background.
President Barack Obama
and his wife Michelle, who
landed in Mumbai on Novem-
ber 6, 2010, for a four-day
India visit, were relaxed and
smiling as they interacted with
students, many of them from
poor families, at the school.
The couple arrived sepa-
rately at the venue, in a quiet
by-lane in Colaba, a hub of
foreigners and close to the
Leopold Cafe, which was tar-
geted during the Nov 26,
2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The US first couple — the
president in shirtsleeves and
the first lady in a black and
white dress with a hot pink
shrug — moved around, shak-
ing hands with the children
and stopping to exchange
some words.
They then settled down to
watch dance performances
INDIA REVIEW 2010
by the children, dressed in
vibrant reds, greens and or-
anges, who first presented a
semi-classical dance followed
by the traditional Koli folk
dance of Maharashtra's fish-
erfolk, the original inhabi-
tants of Mumbai.
That over, Michelle
Obama gamely agreed when
the children asked her to
join them, swinging her hips
to the catchy tune and
quickly catching on as the
steps were taught to her.
The president was not to far
behind either, and happily
got up to join the fun, wav-
ing his arms and swinging
along with the rest.
The children were de-
lighted — and so it seems
were the Obamas who were
seen smiling broadly.
Minister of State for Mi-
nority Affairs Salman Khur-
shid, who is also the
minister-in-waiting for the
Obamas, and Indian Ambas-
sador to US Meera Shankar
sat behind the couple.
Obama had greeted the
students with a namaste, the
traditional Indian greeting
25
OBAMAS VISIT HOLY NAME SCHOOL, MUMBAI
Pictures show the
Obamas swinging
a leg with the
students of Holy
Name School and
generally having
a good time.
with palms joined, and lit a
traditional lamp to flag off
the function. Earlier, Michelle
Obama had also seen an ex-
hibition of paintings and ran-
golis put up by the students.
Later, President Obama is
scheduled to address around
100 students selected from
six different city colleges at
the St. Xaviers College in
Dhobi Talao, again a stone's
throw away from Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus, another
target of 26/11.
He will also visit an agri-
cultural exhibition there, at-
tend a democracy expo and
interact with farmers in a Ra-
jasthan village through video
conferencing.
Thereafter, they are ex-
pected to return to the Taj,
drive down to Colaba and
hop onto a chopper for the
Chhatrapati Shivaji Interna-
tional Airport for their on-
ward visit to New Delhi.
South Mumbai remained
a virtual fortress as US digni-
taries went about their social
engagements in the area,
mostly within a two square
kilometre radius.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
26
TOWN HALL MUMBAI
‘TOUGH QUESTIONS’
At the town hall meeting in Mumbai, President Obama responds to a
variety of complex questions, pausing to reflect and contemplate...
ielding questions
F from students on is-
sues ranging from
Pakistan to jehad,
establishing an e-connect
with farmers and breaking
into an impromptu jig, US
President Barack Obama got
into the groove in more ways
than one as he ended the
first leg of his India visit here
before heading for New
Delhi on November 7, 2010.
The morning, devoted to
meeting farmers and stu-
dents, was expected to throw
up color and some non-po-
litical content. But it also
turned out to be a day for
making important policy
statements on global issues
as Obama took on a host of
sharp questions from eager
students at the St Xavier’s
College here.
Exhorted by First Lady
Michelle Obama to ask
President Obama at the St. Xavier’s College “tough questions”, the stu-
town hall meeting, responding to a dents drawn from six Mum-
question posed by a student. bai colleges did just that as
they asked the President his
views on jehad, Pakistan,
Afghanistan and the road
INDIA REVIEW 2010
OBAMA
ANSWERS SOME
ahead after the electoral
rout. India has “the biggest
stake” in a successful and
stable Pakistan, Obama said
from the packed forecourt of
the college with its Indo-
Gothic architecture as he an-
swered a question on the
prickly issue of Pakistan.
He asserted that it was in
India’s interest to remove the
“distraction” of insecurity in
the region when it was mov-
ing ahead on the global eco-
nomic stage.
“Obviously the history be-
tween India and Pakistan is
incredibly complex and born
out of much tragedy and vio-
lence. It may be surprising,
but I am absolutely con-
vinced that the country
which has the biggest stake
in Pakistan’s success is
India,” Obama, who was criti-
cised by some in India for
not mentioning Pakistan’s
terror link in his opening ad-
dress at the Taj Hotel, said.
He also spoke of the need
to “give space and time for
Afghan security forces to de-
velop” and reiterated that
the US would begin reduc-
ing troop levels starting July
2011. “But we will not be re-
moving all our troops.”
On Islam and jehad, he
said: “Well, the phrase jehad
has a lot of meanings within
Islam. It is subject to lot of
different interpretations. But
I will say that first Islam is
one of the world’s great reli-
gions and over a billion peo-
ple practice Islam.”
The president, who also
reiterated how Mahatma
Gandhi continues to inspire
him in his day to day life,
said he did not consider
India a rising power but one
that had already “risen”.
“The common thread
that runs is my determina-
tion to take partnership (be-
tween the two countries) to
an entirely new level. We be-
lieve that India has already
risen.”
In remarks that may be
seen as a subtle critique of
India’s policy towards Myan-
mar, Obama also said:
“There are elections that are
being held right now in
27
TOWN HALL MUMBAI
Burma, that will be anything
but free and fair.”
Wife Michelle Obama
had earlier candidly spoken
to the students about her
growing up years and how
her family didn’t “have a lot
of money”.
“My parents worked hard...
My parents couldn’t give us
material things,” she said elo-
quently. But “they taught us
that our circumstances didn’t
define us”, the wife of the
US’ first African American
president said.
Before addressing the stu-
dents, the president inter-
acted with farmers from
Ajmer through a video-con-
ference link to understand
how India was seeking to
bridge the digital divide by
reaching technology and
services to the grassroots
level. Stating that he wanted
to have a glimpse of the IT
revolution in rural India,
Obama said: “Many of these
innovations are because of
public and private collabora-
tions between the United
States and India.”
INDIA REVIEW 2010
28
OBAMA’S VIRTUAL CONNECT
RURAL
TECH
EARNS
OBAMA
PRAISE
President Obama got a first hand feel of how India
is using the Internet to let citizens interact with local
government bodies to access services
S President
U Barack Obama on
November 7,
2010, interacted
with farmers from Ajmer
through a video-conference
link from Mumbai to under-
stand how India was seeking
to bridge the digital divide
by reaching technology and
services to the grassroots
level.
Moderating the discussion
at the Open Government
and Technology Exposition
organised at the St. Xavier's
College campus in the city
was the Chicago-based tech
evangelist Sam Pitroda,
while the young Minister of
INDIA REVIEW 2010
State for Communications
and IT Sachin Pilot was with
the farmers in Kanpura vil-
lage in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
Obama said he wanted to
have a glimpse of the infor-
mation technology revolu-
tion in rural India, how
citizens were interacting vir-
tually with local government
bodies using internet and
accessing information and
services such as tele-medi-
cine and e-education.
“Many of these innovations
are because of public and
private collaborations be-
tween the US and India,” the
US President said, giving the
example of the green revolu-
tion in India in the 1970s
where scientists of the two
sides worked together for
better seeds and irrigation.
Large screens were in-
stalled both at the Mumbai
college and at Kanpura,
some 25 km from Ajmer — a
town famous for the shrine
of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja
Muinuddin Chisty — for
those two sides to “meet and
interact” with each other vir-
tually.
Obama was visibly pleased
when the village local body
secretary Shiv Shankar said
how his complaint about a
faulty handpump over inter-
net was rectified almost im-
mediately — in a departure
from the weeks that it would
have otherwise taken in the
past.
Similarly, healthcare
worker Sunita Rathore ex-
plained how she could ac-
cess digitised medical
records of the villagers, espe-
cially children, to plan their
vaccination schedules.
These apart, a student of
management, Vipul Johar,
told the US President how
he was pursuing further
studies via internet by down-
loading course material,
sparing him the need to
travel 25 km to Ajmer for
the direct-contact classes.
Incidentally, both the
moderators in Mumbai and
in Ajmer have been edu-
cated in the US.
Presently an advisor to the
Indian Prime Minister on
public information, infra-
structure and innovations,
Pitroda has studied at the
Illinois Institute of Technol-
ogy, while Pilot is an alum-
nus of the Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania.
Kanpura was chosen not
just because it falls in the
constituency of Pilot, but
also because a pilot project
there has connected it with
optic fibre network for on-
line access to land records
and birth certificates.
Full text of remarks
made by the US Presi-
dent at the Open Gov-
ernment and Technolo-
gy Exposition:
“Well, here’s the good news.
In the United States we are
trying to do some of the
same things that you’re
doing — trying to make gov-
ernment more transparent,
trying to make government
more accountable, trying to
make government more
efficient.
And one of the incredible
benefits of the technology
we’re seeing right here is
that in many ways India may
OBAMA’S VIRTUAL CONNECT
be in a position to leapfrog
some of the intermediate
stages of government service
delivery, avoiding some of
the 20th century mecha-
nisms for delivering services
and going straight to the
21st.
But many of the issues
that you’re talking about
here are ones that we’re try-
ing to apply in the United
States, as well. For example,
in many rural areas in the
United States, it’s hard
sometimes to get to a hospi-
tal. Even though the infra-
structure may be better
developed, there’s still signifi-
cant distances. And to the
29
US President Barack
Obama in Mumbai
interacting with Indian
farmers in Rajasthan
through video confer-
encing on November
7, 2010.
extent that we can use tech-
nology to provide people
with basic health informa-
tion, in some cases simple
diagnoses, that can save
people time, it can save the
government money, and we
can end up with better
health outcomes. And obvi-
ously the same applies for all
the services you mentioned.
So I want to congratulate
all of you for doing the ter-
rific work. And I look for-
ward to watching this terrific
experiment in democracy
continue to expand all
throughout India, and you’ll
be a model for countries
around the world.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
30
WALK THROUGH HISTORY
OBAMAS
FIND
HUMAYUN’S
TOMB
‘SPECTACULAR’
“Indian civilization has endured and led the world
to new heights of achievement...”
relaxed US first
A couple looked
like any other
visitor to the Hu-
mayun’s Tomb, except for
the scores of plainclothes In-
dian and US security per-
sonnel swarming around,
the glare of cameras and the
absence of any other
tourists. The Obamas de-
scribed the 16th century
monument complex as
“spectacular”.
The presidential black lim-
ousine drove up to the west
gate of the Humayun’s Tomb
complex, a World Heritage
site, at 4.55 p.m. - the sec-
ond engagement of the US
President Barack Obama
and his wife Michelle after
arriving in New Delhi in the
afternoon, as part of their
four-day official visit to India.
Accompanied by Archaeo-
INDIA REVIEW 2010
logical Survey of
India’s superinten-
ding archaeologist
K.K. Muhammad,
the Obamas spent
about half-an-hour
walking through
the monument, on
which the more fa-
mous Taj Mahal is
modelled. The first
garden-tomb in
India, the tomb was commis-
sioned by Hamida Bano, the
wife of the second Mughal
emperor Humayun.
“Let’s take a look,” Obama
was heard saying, as he
walked up the stairs to the
tomb. In between, the Oba-
mas, in a personal touch, in-
teracted with the children of
labourers employed by ASI
for the conservation projects
and even gave them gifts.
The children, aged be-
The Obamas go around
Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi
with the Archaeological Sur-
vey of India’s superintending
archeologist K.K. Muham-
mad serving as guide.
tween four to 13 years, gave
an enthusiastic welcome in
Hindi to the US first couple,
who met them on the first
floor terrace of the Mughal
tomb. “Namaste,” said
Obama to the children,
some of whom were accom-
panied by their parents and
the organisers of an ASI-run
school in Tughlakabad.
Dressed in new uniforms
of grey skirt or shorts and a
red-checked shirt, they car-
ried a black slate on which
they had written in English -
“Welcome to H.E (his excel-
lency) US President Barack
Obama and First Lady
Michelle Obama”.
“They said we should work
hard and study more,” said
Vishal, the eldest of the 14
children present at Hu-
mayun’s Tomb. While Vishal
recognized the importance
of the visitor, the younger
children seemed rather over-
awed by the special atten-
tion bestowed on them.
Ten-year-old Puja strug-
gled to name the visitor,
“Maba, no.. Obaji”, before
her cousin, Shiv Ram, 6,
came to her rescue with an
emphatic, “Obama”.
When asked if they knew
why the two persons were
important, they shyly shook
their heads in the negative.
Ram Das, an ASI labourer
and father of Vishal, was
certainly impressed that the
US president and his wife
shook hands with all in their
group. “He shook my hands
and with everybody else. I re-
ally liked it,” he said.
All the children got gifts of
a silver bookmark, embossed
with the presidential seal and
Obama’s signature. Immedi-
ately after Obama left Hu-
mayun’s Tomb, the children
turned into media stars of the
day as television channels
WALK THROUGH HISTORY
vied to record their feelings.
As he left the venue at
around 5.20 p.m., Obama
remarked to the contingent
of Indian and foreign media
at the complex that the In-
dian capital seemed to be a
“modern city rooted in
civilization”.
Commenting to reporters
on the workmanship of the
structure, Obama said: “It
took seven years to build
this (monument). If you try
31
to build something like this
in seven years in the U.S., it
will be tough. Good contrac-
tors,” before exiting with a
comment of “spectacular”.
Writing in the visitor’s
book, Barack and Michelle
Obama said: “Through the
rise and fall of empires, In-
dian civilization has endured
and led the world to new
heights of achievement. The
world owes a profound debt
to India and its people.”
INDIA REVIEW 2010
32 33
AT THE PRIME MINISTER’S DINNER AT THE PRIME MINISTER’S DINNER

ith camel-

W mounted bands
on either side
and another
playing on the terrace, what
was initially billed as an inti-
President Obama
having a one-on-one
chat with Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh at the dinner.

mate “private dinner” for

about 20 people by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
and his wife Gursharan Kaur
for US President Barack
Obama and his wife Michelle
turned into a grand affair that
was described by about 60
Indian and about ten Amer-
President Obama, First ican guests as “outstanding”
Lady Michelle at the and “magnificent”.
dinner hosted by Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan The dinner, on the lush
The “private dinner” hosted by Prime Minister Dr. Man-
Singh at his residence.
Also seen is Smt. front lawns of the prime
mohan Singh for President Obama turned into a grand
Gursharan Kaur.
ministerial residence at 7
affair that was described by about 60 Indian and about
Race Course Road, was
ten American guests as “outstanding” and “magnificent”.
held under a semi-open
marquee that, along with
the music-filled atmosphere
and lights, made it, in the
words of a guest, a setting
“straight out of the Arabian
Nights”. Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal Commerce Secretary Gary including the Obamas, loved
The bands were drawn and S.M. Krishna and Plan- Locke, US ambassador to every moment of it with some
from the Border Security ning Commission Deputy India Timothy J. Roemer and in their group overheard as
Force and the Indian Navy. Chairman Montek Singh Rajiv Shah, Administrator of saying “we could learn much
They played soft non-intru- Ahluwalia. So were bureau- USAID. from the Indians how to or-
sive music that complimented crats National Security Ad- Before the dinner, that was ganise such things”.

PM HOSTS
the perfect weather and the
glittering ambience.
Among those present were
Congress President Sonia
viser Shivshankar Menon, catered by ITC Maurya’s sig- Each table was named
Manmohan Singh’s Principal nature restaurants Bukhara after leading Indian Ameri-
Secretary T.K.A. Nair, Foreign and Dum Pukht and in- cans or Americans who either
Secretary Nirupama Rao and cluded both non-vegetarian had a love for India or had

“ARABIAN NIGHTS”
Gandhi, her son and party India’s ambassador to US and vegetarian fare represent- worked in India.
general secretary Rahul Meera Shankar. ing the best of Indian cuisine, President Obama hosted
Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir Others to get the invite Prime Minister Singh and the first state dinner of his

TREAT FOR PRESIDENT

Chief Minister Omar Abdul- were corporate bigwigs Azim President Obama met sepa- presidency in honor of Man-
lah, senior leaders L.K. Ad- Premji, Ratan Tata, Swati Pi- rately, followed by a meeting mohan Singh under a sprawl-
vani and Arun Jaitley, Actors ramal and N.R. Narayana between their families that in- ing white tent on the lawns of

OBAMA
Shabana Azmi, her husband
Javed Akhtar and Aamir
Khan, besides Priya Dutt and
Meenakshi Natarajan, both
MPs.
Also present were cabinet
ministers Pranab Mukherjee,
P. Chidambaram, A.K. Antony,
Murthy, environmental scien-
tist Sunita Narain and Jamia
Millia Islamia vice chancellor
Najeeb Jung.
From the American side
were National Security Ad-
viser Tom Donilon, Treasury
Secretary Timothy Geithner,
cluded the prime minister’s
daughters and a son-in-law.
Sam Pitroda, the Prime
Minister’s Advisor on Technol-
ogy, said the setting was “un-
believable” and “done with
class and thought”.
Pitroda said the Americans,
the White House in Novem-
ber last year that brought to-
gether the Who’s Who of
Washington and the Indian
American community and
made it the most talked
about social event for months
in the American capital.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

34 35
CERMONIAL WELCOME FOR THE OBAMAS CERMONIAL WELCOME FOR THE OBAMAS

ndia and the US are the world’s largest democracies

I sharing “certain values” and their relationship will be

a defining one in the 21st century, President Barack
Obama said after receiving a ceremonial welcome at
Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on November 8, 2010.
“As I have said earlier, I believe the partnership be-
tween the US and India is one of the defining relation-
ships of the 21st century,” Obama told reporters in brief
remarks at the presidential palace, ahead of opening
talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Dressed in his usual conservative black suit with a
maroon tie, the president underlined the “extraordinary”
people-to-people relations between the US and India.
He credited this largely to the role played by the vast
Indian diaspora “who contribute so much to our country”.

INDIA-US
Obama also thanked “all the people in India ... for the
wonderful hospitality we have received... We want to ex-
press the warmest of regards from the people of the US
to the people of India”.

TIES WILL
Obama spoke minutes after he and his wife Michelle
were warmly and formally greeted by President Pratibha
Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the fore-

DEFINE
court of the imposing British-built Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Singh had met him when he landed in New Delhi on
November 7, 2010, from Mumbai, where he began his India

21STCENTURY:
visit a day earlier. The President inspected a special guard
of honor in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Prime Minister and wife Gursharan Kaur, the

OBAMA
President and husband Devisingh Patil as well as a host
of cabinet ministers, including Defence Minister A.K.
Antony, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna
President Obama inspecting a were at Rashtrapati Bhavan before
guard of honor during the the offi-
cial ceremonial welcome to the US the US first couple pulled up in their
President at Rashtrapati Bhavan in
New Delhi on November 8, 2010
black limousine.
(Left). The US President making a President Obama and the First
speech after inspecting the guard
of honor in the forecourt of Rashtra- Lady, in a black and green dress, were
pati Bhavan (below). met by Patil and the Prime Minister as
they alighted from the car. While Patil
was in a white sari with a green border, Gursharan Kaur
was in a rich cream sari with an elaborate russet border.
President Obama highlighted the extraordinary people-to-people relations After meeting the Indian ministers, Obama introduced
between the US and India during the official ceremonial welcome hosted Patil to the US delegation. President Obama later paid
by Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and went into
talks with Manmohan Singh.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

36 37
OBAMAS VISIT RAJGHAT GANDHI SAMADHI OBAMAS VISIT RAJGHAT GANDHI SAMADHI

‘GANDHI’S wife looked absorbed in the sombre at-

mosphere of the Rajghat,” Kumar said.

LIGHT STILL
According to Kumar, Obama asked
several questions about the memorial.
“He asked me how many people visit
Rajghat everyday. When I answered more

INSPIRES THE
than 10,000, he looked impressed. He
also wanted to know if it is ever closed
and when it will open to the public after

WORLD’
his visit. I said that Rajghat is never
closed and will be open to the public as
soon as he leaves,” Kumar added.
President Obama and the First Lady
laid a wreath of white carnations, tied
with a blue-red-white ribbon, on the
samadhi.
t was a solemn moment as Presi- After signing the Visitors Book, the U.S.

I dent Obama and his wife Michelle

laid a wreath of white carnations at
Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Ra-
jghat in New Delhi on November 8,
2010, saying “his light” still inspires the
world. He also presented an “unparal-
leled” gift in the form of a Martin Luther
King Jr. memo-
rabilia. During
the 20-minute
President Obama and
First Lady Michelle
visit, the Presi-
offer floral tributes at dent penned a
the Samadhi of
Mahatma Gandhi, the note from the
Father of the Nation. heart in the
Visitor’s Book
at the Rajghat
Memorial while
Michelle stood
beside him.
“We will always
remember the great soul who changed
the world with his message of peace, tol-
erance and love. More than 60 years after
his passing, his light continues to inspire
the world,” President Obama wrote.
Rajnish Kumar, secretary of the Ra-
jghat Samadhi Committee who received
President Obama at the marigold
adorned VIP entrance, said that he saw
“deep respect” for Gandhi in the Presi-
dent’s eyes.
“Up until that moment I had only read
in the newspapers that Obama was a big
fan of Gandhi, but when I received him
here I could actually see the deep respect
for Bapu (Gandhi) in his eyes. Even his
first couple was presented a bust of
Gandhi, a khadi scroll containing the
seven social sins Gandhi wrote about in
Young India in 1925 and three books.
The books were Gandhi’s autobiogra-
phy, My Experiments with Truth, The
Mind of Mahatma Gandhi and Mahatma
Gandhi in 100
years. As a special
gesture, they were
also gifted a model
of a charkha or a
spinning wheel
which symbolizes
the Gandhian con-
cept of self-entrepre-
neurship and played
a vital role during
India’s independ-
ence. Obama also
gifted something to Rajghat – a King
memorabilia.
Resting in a gold-wrapped box, this was
a piece of white stone from the Washing-
ton National Memorial of American civil
rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., who
was greatly inspired by Gandhi.
The stone was set on a black base,
which was embossed with the presiden-
tial seal and Obama's signature. Calling it
“unparalleled”, Kumar said that the gift
had a profound meaning. “Gandhi stood
for non-violence and so did King. So this
gift has a deep meaning behind it. We
will put the stone in a glass case and
keep it in our Rajghat office,” he said.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

38
JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE
OBAMA
IS A
SINCERE
AND A
VALUED
FRIEND’
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh describes President
Obama as India’s true and sincere friend
S President Barack
U Obama and Indian
Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh
addressed a joint press con-
ference at Hyderabad House
in Delhi on November 8 after
concluding bilateral discus-
sions. Excerpts from the re-
marks by President Obama
and Prime Minister Singh in
the Joint Press Conference in
New Delhi.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
PRIME MINISTER:
The President and the First
Lady have made an abiding
impression on the people of
India with their warmth, with
their grace, and with their
commitment to promoting
the relationship between our
two great democracies. Presi-
dent Obama yesterday char-
acterized the India-U.S.
partnership as one of the
defining and indispensable
partnerships of the 21st cen-
tury. In my discussion with
the President, we have de-
cided to accelerate the deep-
ening of our ties and to
work as equal partners in a
strategic relationship that
will positively and decisively
influence world peace, stabil-
ity and progress.
We welcome the decision
by the United States to lift
control from exports of hi-
technology items and tech-
nologies to India, and sup-
port India’s membership in
multilateral export control
regimes such as the Nuclear
Suppliers Group. This is a
manifestation of the growing
trust and confidence in each
other.
We have agreed on steps
to expand our cooperation
in space, civil nuclear de-
fense and other high-end
“We have agreed to facilitate trade and people-to-people
exchanges, recognizing that protectionism is detrimental
to both our economies.” — Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh
sectors. We have an-
nounced specific initiatives
in the areas of clean energy,
health and agriculture.
These include a joint clean
energy research and devel-
opment center, the estab-
lishment of a global disease
detection center in India,
and an agreement for coop-
eration in weather and crop
forecasting.
JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE
We have decided to hold
a higher education summit
next year. Cooperation in
the field of education holds
great promise because no
two other countries are bet-
ter equipped to be partners
in building the knowledge
economy of the future.
The United States is one
of our largest trading part-
ners. Our trade is balanced
and growing. India is
among the fastest-growing
sources of investment in the
United States. Indian invest-
ments have helped to in-
crease the competitiveness
of the U.S. economy. We
welcome increased U.S. in-
vestment and high-technol-
ogy flows in key sectors of
our economy, including the
sector of nuclear energy.
We have agreed to facili-
tate trade and people-to-
people exchanges,
recognizing that protection-
ism is detrimental to both
our economies.
I conveyed our gratitude
to the President for the co-
operation we have received
in our counterterrorism
measures post-Mumbai. We
will start a new homeland
security dialogue to deepen
this cooperation.
We had a detailed ex-
change on the situation in
39
our extended region, includ-
ing East Asia, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and West Asia. We
have a shared vision of secu-
rity, stability and prosperity
in Asia based on an open
and inclusive regional archi-
tecture. We have agreed to
broaden our strategic dia-
logue to cover other regions
and areas, and initiate joint
projects in Africa and
Afghanistan.
As states possessing nu-
clear weapons, we have
today put forth a common
vision of a world without nu-
clear weapons, and decided
to lead global efforts for
nonproliferation and univer-
sal and non-discriminating
global nuclear disarmament.
This is a historic and bold
bilateral initiative.
We also decided to
strengthen cooperation to
tackle nuclear terrorism and
we welcome US participa-
tion in the Global Center of
Nuclear Energy Partnership,
which will be set up in India.
President Obama is a sin-
cere and a valued friend of
our country, and our discus-
sions have led to a meeting
of minds. Ours is a partner-
ship based on common val-
ues and interests, a shared
vision of the world, and the
deep-rooted ties of friend-
ship among our two peoples.
I look forward to working
with the President to realize
the enormous potential of
this partnership of our two
countries.
I now invite President
Obama to make his re-
marks. And I thank you.
(Applause.)
INDIA REVIEW 2010
40 41
JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE

HIGHLIGHTS ing climate change; from the new partnerships across so

US President Barack Obama
development that gives peo- many areas as we have dur- addressing the joint Press
Conference with Indian Prime
ple and nations a path out ing my visit. Minister Manmohan Singh in
m Controls on export of economies. of poverty to advancing We’ve expanded trade and New Delhi on November 8,
2010.
high technology items m To promote global human rights and values investment to create pros-
and technologies to health, a new disease that are universal. None of perity for our people. The
India lifted. detection center will be this will be possible without major trade deals that were
m To support India's set up at New Delhi. strong cooperation between signed in Mumbai were an
membership in multi- m To start a new Home- the United States and India. important step forward in el-
lateral export control land Security Dialogue Moreover, as Prime Minis- evating India to one of
regimes such as the to deepen cooperation ter Singh alluded to, ours is America’s top trading part-
Nuclear Suppliers in counter-terrorism. no ordinary relationship. As ners. Today I’m pleased to
Group. m To broaden strategic di- the world’s two largest welcome India’s preliminary
m Steps to expand coop- alogue to cover other democracies, as large and agreement to purchase 10
eration in space, civil regions and areas, and growing free market C-17 cargo planes, which
nuclear, defense and initiate joint projects in economies, as diverse, multi- will enhance Indian capabili-
other high end sectors. Africa and Afghanistan. ethnic societies with strong ties and support 22,000 jobs
m Deepening cooperation m To strengthen coopera- traditions of pluralism and back in the United States.
on clean energy tech- tion to tackle nuclear tolerance, we have not only We agreed to reform our
nology, including set- terrorism and to set up an opportunity but also a re- controls on exports, and the
ting up of a Joint Clean the Global Center for sponsibility to lead. United States will remove In-
Energy Research and Nuclear Energy Part- And that’s why I believe dian organizations from the
Development Centre. nership in India. that the relationship be- so-called “entity list,” which
m An agreement for co- m Starting new partner- tween the United States and will allow greater coopera-
operation in weather ship in forestry and India will, in fact, be one of tion in a range of high-tech
and crop forecasting. sustainable develop- the defining partnerships of sectors like civil space and
m Increasing cooperation ment of land to help the 21st century. That’s why defense. And we agreed to
in the field of educa- meet the commitment I’ve worked with the Prime keep working to reduce and law enforcement com- liferation. In keeping with ahead with a new disease cussing why these efforts
tion sector and to hold in Copenhagen to Minister, a man of extraordi- trade barriers and resist pro- munities has already its commitment at our Nu- detection center here in New can be models for the kind
a Higher Education combat climate nary intellect and great in- tectionism. reached unprecedented lev- clear Security Summit, India Delhi. Building on our suc- of cooperation that not only
Summit next year. change. tegrity, to deepen and As a result of this visit, we els. And today, we’re taking will build a new center of ex- cessful efforts to expand ed- benefits America and India,
m To facilitate trade and m To launch a new part- broaden the cooperation be- are already beginning to im- another step — a new effort cellence for nuclear energy ucational exchanges, but benefits other nations as
people-to-people ex- nership for an ever- tween our two countries. plement our civil nuclear between our Department of and security to help reach including our Singh-Obama well.
changes, recognising green revolution to And I very much look for- agreement. We agreed to Homeland Security and the our goal of securing vulnera- 21st Century Knowledge Ini- So, taken together, all of
that protectionism is improve food security ward to addressing the In- deepen our cooperation in Indian Ministry of Home Af- ble nuclear materials in four tiative, we’ll convene a sum- these partnerships, all these
detrimental to both around the world. dian Parliament and the pursuit of clean energy tech- fairs to improve security at years. mit to forge new initiatives make it clear the
people of India later today nologies, and this includes our ports, our airports, and Given India’s growing role collaborations in higher edu- relationship between the
to discuss how the United the creation of a new clean our borders. in the region, we also agreed cation. And we’re announc- United States and India is
States and India can take energy research center here I also discussed with the to deepen our consultations ing two initiatives today that stronger, deeper and
PRESIDENTOBAMA: such graciousness and a our partnership to the next in India, and continuing our Prime Minister our efforts in on East Asia. Given India’s harness technology to de- broader than ever before.
Thank you very much, Prime wonderful dinner last night. level, with a vision of how we joint research into solar, bio- Afghanistan, and once again growing role on the world liver progress for our people. So, Mr. Prime Minister, again
Minister Singh. And good af- As I’ve said throughout my can work together as global fuels, shale gas, and building thanked him and the Indian stage, we’ll expand our dia- Building on the Indian I thank you for your partner-
ternoon, everyone. I want to visit, I have come to India partners. efficiency. And we agreed to people for the generous con- logue on global issues. And and American agricultural ship and for your friendship.
begin by saying how thrilled because I believe that the re- With the progress we’ve new partnerships including tributions that India has we discussed the need for collaboration that led to the I am confident that as
my wife Michelle and I and lationship between the made today, we’re seeing forestry and sustainable de- made towards development international institutions, in- Green Revolution, we’re India’s influence in the world
our entire delegation are to United States and India is just how broad and deep velopment of land to help and improving the lives of cluding the United Nations, launching a new partnership continues to rise, so, too, will
be here in India. We have indispensable to addressing our cooperation can be. As meet the commitments we the Afghan people. We to reflect the realities of the for a Evergreen Revolution the opportunities for even
been received with incredi- the challenges of our time -- President, I’ve had the op- made at Copenhagen to agreed on the need for all 21st century — which I will to improve food security closer cooperation between
ble warmth and incredible from creating economic op- portunity to appear with combat climate change. nations in the region to discuss further in my ad- around the world. We’re our two countries. And that
hospitality. And that in- portunity for our people to many of my foreign counter- To ensure the safety of work together and ensure dress to Parliament. also launching a new part- will mean even greater secu-
cludes the hospitality of our confronting terrorism and vi- parts at press conferences our citizens, we’re deepening that there are no safe Finally, we continue to ex- nership to promote open rity and prosperity for India,
friends, Prime Minister Singh olent extremism; from pre- such as this, but I cannot re- our efforts to prevent terror- havens for terrorists. pand partnerships between government and to empower for the United States, for
and his lovely wife Mrs. venting the spread of member an occasion when ism. Cooperation between We’re expanding our ef- our peoples. To promote citizens. And in my address this region, and for the
Kaur, who we thank for nuclear weapons to address- we have agreed to so many our countries’ intelligence forts to prevent nuclear pro- global health, we're moving to Parliament I’ll be dis- world.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

42 43
MEETINGS WITH POLITICAL LEADERS MEETINGS WITH POLITICAL LEADERS

SONIA Congress President Sonia

Gandhi called on US

GANDHI
President Barack Obama in
New Delhi on November 8.
Congress sources said

MEETS
Gandhi, who was
accompanied by Finance

OBAMA
Minister Pranab Mukherjee,
raised issues of mutual The Leader of
the Opposition
interest and expressed in the Lok Sabha,
Sushma Swaraj,
meeting the US
India's desire to further President Barack
Obama, in
strengthen ties with the US. New Delhi on
November 8, 2010.

HE WAS VERY
Gandhi is chairperson of
the ruling United
The President of
the Indian Na-
tional Congress
Progressive Alliance (UPA)
and heads the National
Advisory Council (NAC).
RECEPTIVE: SWARAJ
and Chairperson
of the ruling
United Progres-
sive Alliance
Sonia Gandhi
discusses a point eader of the Opposi- The BJP leader said she mind” and his government
with President
Obama during
their meeting in
New Delhi on
November 8,
2010. L tion in the Lok Sabha,
the lower House of
Parliament, and sen-
ior Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj
told Obama that such re-
marks caused unease in
India as every word originat-
ing from Washington was fol-
lowed closely here. Swaraj
“will keep these in considera-
tion” and “will be careful”.
On the Bhopal gas tragedy,
she conveyed to Obama that
it was the world’s worst in-
called on US President said she told Obama that dustrial disaster and “the
Barack Obama on November there were “loud whispers” that compensation that people
8 in New Delhi. She said her India was being seen as a got was peanuts”. She said
meeting with US President market and Pakistan as an ally. the guilty should be brought
Obama was “very fruitful” as “You are an outstanding to book and the US govern-
he was “very receptive and re- communicator, such a good ment should help the Indian
sponsive” to the issues raised orator. Please wash away this government in the Bhopal
by her, including terrorism, impression,” Swaraj told Obama. case, which needs to be re-
India's sensibilities about The BJP leader said she opened. The environmental
China, the Bhopal gas urged Obama to understand issues linked to the tragedy
tragedy and outsourcing. India's sensibilities vis-a-vis should also be addressed, she
“Not only did he under- China and emphasised that asserted. Obama told her he
stand the issues but said (he India was a dependable and would speak about the Bhopal
will) try to address them as reliable friend. She said the gas tragedy issue at an ap-
far as possible,” Swaraj told US had cancelled joint exer- propriate forum and asked
reporters here. She said she cises in Arunachal Pradesh Swaraj to convey his sympa-
raised five issues with and an India-US-Japan exer- thies to the affected people.
Obama, including occasional cise apparently because Bei- Swaraj said Obama had in-
statements from senior US jing would be unhappy. vited her to visit the US.
officials about Pakistan en- She said Obama told her “Generally, such meetings
joying a special status and that the points she raised are one-sided. But, he was
being a major non-NATO ally. “had been registered in my very responsive,” she said.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

44 45
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT

ADDRESS TO Addressing a Joint Session of India’s Parliament on November 9,

President Obama said that “the relationship between the United
THE JOINT SESSION OF States and India — bound by our shared interests and our shared
values — will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st

PARLIAMENT century. This is the partnership I’ve come here to build.

This is the vision that our nations can realize together.”

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

46
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT
Here is the speech:
“Mr. Vice President, Madam
Speaker, Mr. Prime Minister,
members of Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha, and most of
all, the people of India. I
thank you for the great
honor of addressing the rep-
resentatives of more than
one billion Indians and the
world’s largest democracy.
(Applause.) I bring the
greetings and friendship of
the world’s oldest democracy
—- the United States of
America, including nearly
three million proud and pa-
triotic Indian-Americans.
(Applause.)
Over the past three days,
my wife Michelle and I have
experienced the -- and dy-
namism of India and its peo-
ple -- from the majesty of
Humayun’s Tomb to the ad-
vanced technologies that are
empowering farmers and
women who are the back-
bone of Indian society; from
the Diwali celebrations with
schoolchildren to the inno-
vators who are fueling India’s
INDIA REVIEW 2010
47
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT
alize together. always found inspiration in spired with America and moon. character.”
My confidence in our the life of Gandhiji and his the world. (Applause.) Instead of resisting the And instead of being lured
shared future is grounded in simple and profound lesson An ancient civilization of global economy, you became by the false notion that
my respect for India’s treas- to be the change we seek in science and innovation; a one of its engines —- reform- progress must come at the
ured past -— a civilization the world. (Applause.) And fundamental faith in human ing the licensing raj and un- expense of freedom, you
that’s been shap- just as he summoned Indi- progress -- this is the sturdy leashing an economic built the institutions upon
US President Obama ad- ing the world for ans to seek their destiny, he foundation upon which you marvel that has lifted tens of which true democracy de-
dressing the joint session
of Parliament in the thousands of influenced champions of have built ever since that millions of people from pends —- free and fair elec-
Central Hall of Parlia-
ment House in New years. Indians equality in my own country, stroke of midnight when the poverty and created one of tions, which enable citizens
Delhi on November 8.
Vice President Mohd.
unlocked the in- including a young preacher tricolor was raised over a the world’s largest middle to choose their own leaders
Hamid Ansari, Lok tricacies of the named Martin Luther King. free and independent India. classes. without recourse to arms --
Sabha Speaker Meira
Kumar and the Prime human body and After making his pilgrimage (Applause.) And despite the Instead of succumbing to (applause) -- an independent
Minister, Dr. Manmohan
Singh are also seen. the vastness of to India a half-century ago, skeptics who said this coun- division, you have shown judiciary and the rule of law,
our universe. It’s Dr. King called Gandhi’s phi- try was simply too poor, or that the strength of India —- which allows people to ad-
no exaggeration to say that losophy of non-violent resist- too vast, or too diverse to the very idea of India —- is its dress their grievances; and a
our Information Age is ance “the only logical and succeed, you surmounted embrace of all colors, all thriving free press and vi-
rooted in Indian innovations moral approach” in the overwhelming odds and be- castes, all creeds. (Ap- brant civil society which al-
—- including the number struggle for justice and came a model to the world. plause.) It’s the diversity rep- lows every voice to be heard.
zero. (Applause.) progress. (Applause.) Instead of slipping into resented in this chamber This year, as India marks 60
Of course, India not only So we were honored to starvation, you launched a today. It’s the richness of years with a strong and
opened our minds, she ex- visit the residence where Green Revolution that fed faiths celebrated by a visitor democratic constitution, the
panded our moral imagina- Gandhi and King both millions. Instead of becom- to my hometown of Chicago lesson is clear: India has
economic rise; from the uni- my longest visit to another tions -- with religious texts stayed —- Mani Bhavan. And ing dependent on commodi- more than a century ago -— succeeded, not in spite of
versity students who will country since becoming that still summon the faith- we were humbled to pay our ties and exports, you the renowned Swami democracy; India has suc-
chart India’s future, to you —- President. (Applause.) For ful to lives of dignity and dis- respects at Raj Ghat. And I invested in science and tech- Vivekananda. He said that, ceeded because of democ-
leaders who helped to bring in Asia and around the cipline, with poets who am mindful that I might not nology and in your greatest “holiness, purity and charity racy. (Applause.)
India to this moment of ex- world, India is not simply imagined a future “where be standing before you resource —- the Indian peo- are not the exclusive posses- Now, just as India has
traordinary promise. emerging; India has the mind is without fear and today, as President of the ple. And the world sees the sions of any church in the changed, so, too, has the re-
At every stop, we have emerged. (Applause.) the head is held high” -- (ap- United States, had it not results, from the supercom- world, and that every system lationship between our two
been welcomed with the And it is my firm belief plause) -- and with a man been for Gandhi and the puters you build to the In- has produced men and nations. In the decades
hospitality for which Indians that the relationship be- whose message of love and message he shared and in- dian flag that you put on the women of the most exalted after independence, India
have always advanced its interests as a
been known. proud leader of the non-
So, to you aligned movement. Yet, too
and the peo- often, the United States and
ple of India, I am proud to visit India so early in my India found ourselves on op-
on behalf of presidency. It’s no coincidence that India is posite sides of a North-
me, Michelle my first stop on a visit to Asia, or that this `South divide, estranged by a
and the has been my longest visit to another long Cold War. Those days
American country since becoming President. For in are over.
people, please Asia and around the world, India is not Here in India, two succes-
accept my simply emerging; India has emerged... sive governments led by dif-
deepest ferent parties have
thanks. (Ap- recognized that deeper part-
plause.) Ba- nership with America is both
hoot dhanyavad. (Applause.) tween the United States and justice endures -— the father natural and necessary. And
Now, I am not the first India -— bound by our of your nation, Mahatma in the United States, both of
American President to visit shared interests and our Gandhi. (Applause.) my predecessors —- one a
India. Nor will I be the last. shared values -— will be one For me and Michelle, this Democrat, one a Republican
But I am proud to visit India of the defining partnerships visit has, therefore, held spe- -— worked to bring us closer,
so early in my presidency. of the 21st century. This is cial meaning. See, through- leading to increased trade
It’s no coincidence that India the partnership I’ve come out my life, including my and a landmark civil nuclear
is my first stop on a visit to here to build. This is the vi- work as a young man on be- agreement. (Applause.)
Asia, or that this has been sion that our nations can re- half of the urban poor, I’ve So since that time, people
INDIA REVIEW 2010
48
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT
in both our countries have
asked: What’s next? How
can we build on this
progress and realize the full
potential of our partnership?
That’s what I want to ad-
dress today —- the future that
the United States seeks in
an interconnected world,
and why I believe that India
is indispensable to this vi-
sion; how we can forge a
truly global partnership -—
not just in one or two areas,
but across many; not just for
our mutual benefit, but for
the benefit of the world.
Of course, only Indians
can determine India’s na-
tional interests and how to
advance them on the world
INDIA REVIEW 2010
global cooperation.
Now, to advance these in-
terests, I have committed the
United States to compre-
hensive engagement with
the world, based on mutual
interest and mutual respect.
And a central pillar of this
engagement is forging
deeper cooperation with
21st century centers of influ-
ence — and that must neces-
sarily include India.
Now, India is not the only
emerging
US President Obama
signing the Golden Visitors’ power in the
Book, in the Central Hall of
Parliament House in New
world. But
Delhi on November 8. Lok relationships
Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar
is also seen. between our
countries is
unique. For we are two
strong democracies whose
constitutions begin with the
same revolutionary words —
“We the people.” We are
two great republics dedi-
cated to the liberty and jus-
tice and equality of all
people. And we are two free
market economies where
people have the freedom to
pursue ideas and innovation
that can change the world.
stage. But I stand before And that’s why I believe that
you today because I am con- India and America are indis-
vinced that the interests of pensable partners in meet-
the United States — and the ing the challenges of our
interests we share with India time. (Applause.)
— are best advanced in part- Since taking office, I’ve,
nership. I believe that. (Ap- therefore, made our relation-
plause.) ship a priority. I was proud
The United States seeks to welcome Prime Minister
security — the security of our Singh for the first official
country, our allies and part- state visit of my presidency.
ners. We seek prosperity — a (Applause.) For the first
strong and growing economy time ever, our governments
in an open international are working together across
economic system. We seek the whole range of common
respect for universal values. challenges that we face.
And we seek a just and sus- Now, let me say it as clearly
tainable international order as I can: The United States
that promotes peace and se- not only welcomes India as
curity by meeting global a rising global power, we fer-
challenges through stronger vently support it, and we
have worked to help make it
a reality.
Together with our part-
ners, we have made the G20
the premier forum for inter-
national economic coopera-
tion, bringing more voices to
the table of global economic
decision-making, and that
has included India. We’ve
increased the role of emerg-
ing economies like India at
international financial insti-
tutions. We valued India’s
important role at Copen-
hagen, where, for the first
time, all major economies
committed to take action to
confront climate change —-
and to stand by those ac-
tions. We salute India’s long
history as a leading contrib-
utor to United Nations
peacekeeping missions. And
we welcome India as it pre-
pares to take its seat on the
United Nations Security
Council. (Applause.)
In short, with India assum-
ing its rightful place in the
world, we have a historic op-
portunity to make the rela-
tionship between our two
countries a defining partner-
ship of the century ahead.
And I believe we can do so
by working together in three
important areas.
First, as global partners we
can promote prosperity in
both our countries. To-
gether, we can create the
high-tech, high-wage jobs of
the future. With my visit, we
are now ready to begin im-
plementing our civil nuclear
agreement. This will help
meet India’s growing energy
needs and create thousands
of jobs in both of our coun-
tries. (Applause.)
We need to forge partner-
ships in high-tech sectors
like defense and civil space.
49
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT
So we’ve removed Indian or- compromises that are neces- to share India’s expertise nothing ever justifies the
ganizations from our so- sary so global trade works with farmers in Africa. And slaughter of innocent men,
called “entity list.” And we’ll for all economies. this is an indication of women and children. It’s why
work to remove -- and re- Together, we can India’s rise — that we can we’re working together, more
form our controls on ex- strengthen agriculture. Co- now export hard-earned ex- closely than ever, to prevent
ports. Both of these steps operation between Indian pertise to countries that see terrorist attacks and to
will ensure that Indian com- and American researchers India as a model for agricul- deepen our cooperation
panies seeking high-tech and scientists sparked the tural development. It’s an- even further. And it’s why, as
trade and technologies from Green Revolution. Today, other powerful example of strong and resilient societies,
America are treated the same India is a leader in using how American and Indian we refuse to live in fear. We
as our very closest allies and technology to empower partnership can address an will not sacrifice the values
partners. farmers, like those I met yes-
urgent global challenge. and rule of law that defines
We can pursue joint re- terday who get free updates Because the wealth of a us, and we will never waver
search and development to on market and weather con- nation also depends on the in the defense of our people.
create green jobs; give India ditions on their cell phones.health of its people, we’ll America’s fight against al
more access to cleaner, af- And the United States is a continue to support India’s Qaeda and its terrorist affili-
fordable energy; meet the leader in agricultural pro- effort against diseases like ates is why we persevere in
commitments we made at ductivity and research. Now, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, Afghanistan, where major
and as global development assistance from
partners, we’ll India has improved the lives
work to im- of the Afghan people. We’re
We need to forge partnerships in hi-tech prove global making progress in our mis-
sectors... So we’ve removed Indian organiza- health by pre- sion to break the Taliban’s
tions from our so-called “entity list.” And venting the momentum and to train
we’ll work to remove... our controls on ex- spread of Afghan forces so they can
ports. Both of these steps will ensure that pandemic flu. take the lead for their secu-
Indian companies seeking hi-tech trade And because rity. And while I have made
and technologies from America are treated knowledge is it clear that American forces
the same as our very closest allies... the currency will begin the transition to
of the 21st Afghan responsibility next
century, we summer, I’ve also made it
will increase clear that America’s commit-
Copenhagen; and show the as farmers and rural areas exchanges between our stu- ment to the Afghan people
possibilities of low-carbon face the effects of climate dents, our colleges and our will endure. The United
growth. change and drought, we’ll universities, which are States will not abandon the
And together, we can re- work together to spark a among the best in the world. people of Afghanistan -— or
sist the protectionism that second, more sustainable As we work to advance the region -— to violent ex-
stifles growth and innova- Evergreen Revolution. our shared prosperity, we tremists who threaten us all.
tion. The United States re- Together, we’re improving can partner to address a Our strategy to disrupt
mains — and will continue to Indian weather forecasting second priority —- and that is and dismantle and defeat al
remain — one of the most systems before the next our shared security. In Mum- Qaeda and its affiliates has
open economies in the monsoon season. We aim to bai, I met with the coura- to succeed on both sides of
world. And by opening mar- help millions of Indian farm- geous families and survivors the border. And that’s why
kets and reducing barriers to ers — farming households of that barbaric attack. And we have worked with the
foreign investment, India can save water and increase pro- here in Parliament, which Pakistani government to ad-
realize its full economic po- ductivity, improve food pro- was itself targeted because dress the threat of terrorist
tential as well. As G20 part- cessing so crops don’t spoil of the democracy it repre- networks in the border re-
ners, we can make sure the on the way to market, and sents, we honor the memory gion. The Pakistani govern-
global economic recovery is enhance climate and crop of all those who have been ment increasingly recognizes
strong and is durable. And forecasting to avoid losses taken from us, including that these networks are not
we can keep striving for a that cripple communities American citizens on 26/11 just a threat outside of Pak-
Doha Round that is ambi- and drive up food prices. and Indian citizens on 9/11. istan —- they are a threat to
tious and is balanced —- with And as part of our food This is the bond that we the Pakistani people as well.
the courage to make the security initiative, we’re going share. It’s why we insist that They’ve suffered greatly at
INDIA REVIEW 2010
50
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT
the hands of violent extrem-
ists over the last several years.
And we’ll continue to in-
sist to Pakistan’s leaders that
terrorist safe havens within
their borders are unaccept-
able, and that terrorists be-
hind the Mumbai attacks
must be brought to justice.
We must also recognize that
all of us have an interest in
both an Afghanistan and a
Pakistan that is stable and
prosperous and democratic
—- and India has an interest
in that as well.
In pursuit of regional se-
curity, we will continue to
welcome dialogue between
India and Pakistan, even as
we recognize that disputes
between your two countries
can only be resolved by the
people of your two countries.
More broadly, India and
the United States can part-
ner in Asia. Today, the
United States is once again
playing a leadership role in
Asia —- strengthening old al-
liances; deepening relation-
ships, as we are doing with
China; and we’re reengaging
with regional organizations
like ASEAN and joining the
East Asia summit —- organi-
zations in which India is
also a partner. Like your
neighbors in Southeast Asia,
we want India not only to
“look East,” we want India to
“engage East” —- because it
will increase the security and
prosperity of all our nations.
As two global leaders, the
United States and India can
partner for global security —-
especially as India serves on
the Security Council over
the next two years. Indeed,
the just and sustainable in-
ternational order that Amer-
ica seeks includes a United
Nations that is efficient, ef-
INDIA REVIEW 2010
51
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN PARLIAMENT
fective, credible and legiti- strengthened the corner- services to which they’re en- like it on the planet. There entire people hostage to the ple of India who are watch- aside old habits and atti-
mate. That is why I can say stone of the global non-pro- titled -- (applause) -- and to is so much that countries greed and paranoia of bank- ing today. tudes that keep people
today, in the years ahead, I liferation regime, which is hold officials accountable. transitioning to democracy rupt regimes. It is unaccept- In your lives, you have apart, when we recognize
look forward to a reformed the Nuclear Non-Prolifera- Voters can get information could learn from India’s ex- able to steal elections, as the overcome odds that might our common humanity, then
United Nations Security tion Treaty. about candidates by text perience, so much expertise regime in Burma has done have overwhelmed a lesser we can begin to fulfill these
Council that includes India Together, the United message. And you’re deliver- that India can share with the again for all the world to see. country. In just decades, you aspirations that we share.
as a permanent member. States and India can pursue ing education and health world. And that, too, is what Faced with such gross vio- have achieved progress and It’s a simple lesson con-
Now, let me suggest that our goal of securing the care services to rural com- is possible when the world’s lations of human rights, it is development that took other tained in that collection of
with increased power comes world’s vulnerable nuclear munities, as I saw yesterday largest democracy embraces the responsibility of the in- nations centuries. stories which has guided In-
increased responsibility. The materials. We can make it when I joined an e-pan- its role as a global leader. ternational community —- es- You are now assuming dians for centuries —- the
United Nations exists to ful- clear that even as every na- chayat with villagers in Ra- As the world’s two largest pecially leaders like the your rightful place as a Panchtantra. And it’s the
fill its founding ideals of pre- tion has the right to peace- jasthan. democracies, we must never United States and India —- to leader among nations. Your spirit of the inscription seen
serving peace and security, ful nuclear energy, every Now, in a new collabora- forget that the price of our condemn it. parents and grandparents by all who enter this great
promoting global coopera- nation must also meet its in- tion on open government, own freedom is standing up And if I can be frank, in imagined this. Your children hall:
tion, and advancing human ternational obligations —- our two countries are going for the freedom of others. international fora, India has and grandchildren will look “That one is mine and the
rights. These are the respon- and that includes the Islamic to share our experience, (Applause.) Indians know often shied away from some back on this. But only this other a stranger is the con-
sibilities of all nations, but Republic of Iran. And to- identify what works, and de- this, for it is the story of your of these issues. generation of Indians can cept of little minds. But to
especially those that seek to gether, we can pursue a vision velop the next generation of nation. Before he ever But speaking up for those seize the possibilities of the the large-hearted, the world
lead in the began his struggle for Indian who cannot do so for them- moment. itself is their family.”
21st century. independence, Gandhi stood selves is not interfering in As you carry on with the This is the story of India;
And so we up for the rights of Indians the affairs of other countries. hard work ahead, I want this is the story of America —
look forward in South Africa. Just as oth- It’s not violating the rights of every Indian citizen to know: - that despite their differ-
to working There is so much that countries transition- ers, including the United sovereign nations. The United States of Amer- ences, people can see
with India —- ing to democracy could learn from India’s States, supported Indian in- It is staying true to our ica will not simply be cheer- themselves in one another,
and other na- experience, so much expertise that India dependence, India champi- democratic principles. It is ing you on from the and work together and suc-
tions that as- can share with the world. And that, too, is oned the self-determination giving meaning to the sidelines. We will be right ceed together as one proud
pire to what is possible when the world’s largest of peoples from Africa to human rights that we say there with you, shoulder to nation.
Security democracy embraces its role as a global Asia as they, too, broke free are universal. And it sustains shoulder. Because we be- And it can be the spirit of
Council leader... from colonialism. (Ap- the progress that in Asia lieve in the promise of India. partnership between our na-
membership - plause.) And along with the and around the world has We believe that the future is tions —- that even as we
— to ensure United States, you’ve been a helped turn dictatorships what we make it. We believe honor the histories which in
that the Se- leader in supporting demo- into democracies and ulti- that no matter who you are different times kept us apart,
curity Council is effective; that Indian leaders have es- tools to empower citizens. cratic development and civil mately increased our secu- or where you come from, even as we preserve what
that resolutions are imple- poused since independence —- And in another example of society groups around the rity in the world. every person can fulfill their makes us unique in a glob-
mented, that sanctions are a world without nuclear how American and Indian world. And this, too, is part So promoting shared God-given potential, just as a alized world, we can recog-
enforced; that we strengthen weapons. partnership can address of India’s greatness. prosperity, preserving peace Dalit like Dr. Ambedkar nize how much we can
the international norms And this leads me to the global challenges, we’re Now, we all understand and security, strengthening could lift himself up and pen achieve together.
which recognize the rights final area where our coun- going to share these innova- every country will follow its democratic governance and the words of the Constitu- And if we let this simple
and responsibilities of all na- tries can partner —- strength- tions with civil society own path. No one nation human rights -- these are tion that protects the rights concept be our guide, if we
tions and all individuals. ening the foundations of groups and countries has a monopoly on wisdom, the responsibilities of leader- of all Indians. pursue the vision I’ve de-
This includes our respon- democratic governance, not around the world. We’re and no nation should ever ship. And as global partners, We believe that no matter scribed today —- a global part-
sibility to prevent the spread only at home but abroad. going to show that democ- try to impose its values on this is the leadership that where you live —- whether a nership to meet global
of nuclear weapons. Since I In the United States, my racy, more than any other another. But when peaceful the United States and India village in Punjab or the by- challenges —- then I have no
took office, the United administration has worked form of government, delivers democratic movements are can offer in the 21st century. lanes of Chandni Chowk -- doubt that future generations
States has reduced the role to make government more for the common man —- and suppressed —- as they have Ultimately though, this can- (laughter) -- an old section —- Indians and Americans —-
of nuclear weapons in our open and transparent and woman. been in Burma, for example not be a relationship only of Kolkata or a new high- will live in a world that is
national security strategy, accountable to people. Here Likewise, when Indians -- then the democracies of between presidents and rise in Bangalore -- every more prosperous and more
and we’ve agreed with Rus- in India, you’re harnessing vote, the whole world the world cannot remain prime ministers, or in the person deserves the same secure and more just be-
sia to reduce our own arse- technologies to do the same, watches. Thousands of polit- silent. For it is unacceptable halls of this Parliament. chance to live in security cause of the bonds that our
nals. We have put as I saw yesterday at an ical parties; hundreds of to gun down peaceful pro- Ultimately, this must be a and dignity, to get an educa- generation has forged today.
preventing nuclear prolifera- expo in Mumbai. Your land- thousands of polling centers; testors and incarcerate polit- partnership between our tion, to find work, to give So, thank you, and Jai
tion and nuclear terrorism at mark Right to Information millions of candidates and ical prisoners decade after peoples. their children a better future. Hind. And long live the part-
the top of our nuclear Act is empowering citizens poll workers -- and 700 mil- decade. It is unacceptable to So I want to conclude by And we believe that when nership between India and
agenda, and we have with the ability to get the lion voters. There’s nothing hold the aspirations of an speaking directly to the peo- countries and cultures put the United States.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
52
FOR A SLICE OF INDIA
S First lady
FIRST LADY GOES ON
U Michelle Obama
shopped for a
slice of India in
New Delhi on November 8,
2010, almost running out of
A SHOPPING SPREE
money as she splurged on
bedspreads, paintings and
curios as the perfect Christ-
mas gifts! But there was also
a moment in the capital's
Impressed by the exquisite design of Indian traditional handicrafts, the US First sun-draped crafts museum
Lady almost ran out of money as she splurged on bedspreads, paintings when she stood entranced
and curios during her visit to the National Handicrafts by the strains of ‘baul’ folk
music. The First Lady went
and Handlooms Museum in New Delhi on a shopping spree after ar-
riving at the National Handi-
crafts and Handloom
Museum at 10.45 A.M. She
The US First Lady
talks to an artisan lingered for nearly two hours,
during her visit to
the National Hand- shooting well past her one-
icrafts and Hand- hour scheduled program.
looms Museum in
New Delhi on Museum chairperson
November 8, 2010.
Ruchira Ghosh walked the
First Lady through the gal-
leries. “She was so impressed
with the Indian handicrafts
on display that she did not
want to leave. She went on a
shopping binge, buying al-
most everything she came
across,” said Ghosh.
She purchased four kan-
tha bedspreads from a Ben-
gal counter, greeting cards
handpainted with Mad-
hubani motifs from Bihar,
colourful wooden key
chains, Ganesha icons from
Karnataka, and a crochet
dining table cover from
Andhra Pradesh. The First
Lady said she would have
bought more had she been
left with more money, those
at the museum said.
About 20 women artisans
from across the country ex-
hibited their work on the oc-
casion. “The First Lady said
INDIA REVIEW 2010
she had no idea that women
could make so many different
kind of craft products,”
Ghosh said.
The First Lady exhausted
her shopping budget at the
crafts museum and said the
Indian craft items were ideal
gifts for Christmas, barely
one-and-a-half months away.
“This is a historic occasion
for the museum. She was im-
pressed by what she saw. Ear-
lier Hillary Clinton and her
daughter had also visited the
museum,” museum chairper-
son Ruchira Ghosh said.
A gentle breeze ruffled the
giant trees inside the com-
plex as a five-member
troupe of ‘baul’ minstrels
from West Bengal set the
tone of her visit with songs
of Lalan Fakir.
“Shob loke koy Lalon ki
jaat shangshare...,” sang
Swarasati Banerjee and her
troupe clad in saffron robes
to the sounds of the ektara
and dhol as the First Lady
listened to them for a few
minutes, entranced by the
folk melody.
She was clad in the same
black and green dress she
had worn at Mahatma
Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat
and from where she drove
down in an eight-vehicle
convoy to the
crafts museum
checks out handicrafts at
while her hus- the National Handicrafts
and Handlooms Museum
band and US
November 8, 2010.
President Barack
Obama left for
Hyderabad House for talks
with Prime Minister Manmo-
han Singh.
What she bought was an
enchanting mix of art and ac-
cessories — colourful Kutchi
embroidered textile craft, pat-
achitra from Bengal, wood
craft from Karnataka and tex-
tile craft from the northeast.
The First Lady purchased
15 mobile covers, 15 rag Gu-
jarati dolls and five yogi
thailas or embroidered bags.
The next stop on her list was
a vend from Orissa from
where she bought hand fans
and elephants made of rice
stalks. “She bought a rag
doll that my four-year-old
daughter was making,”
Sumar Bhura, an artisan
from Kutch, said.
The museum, which is
usually closed Monday, was
kept open specially for the
First Lady. The First Lady
also took time out to talk to
14 poor girls from Punjab,
Rajasthan and New Delhi.
She answered queries about
her “dreams, her life, her
daughters and enquired
about the children — and
their livelihoods” over snacks
and soft drinks.
The girls were brought to
the crafts museum by the
Nanhi Chaan Foundation,
an organisation working for
The US First Lady
in New Delhi on
53
FOR A SLICE OF INDIA
the welfare of the girl child.
“We wanted to highlight
the plight of these children.
We are not looking at any
kind of help from the first
couple — but just a little visi-
bility for the girls and expo-
sure to the world they live
in,” Sanjay Joshi of Nanhi
Chaan said. The First Lady
struck an instant chord with
the children offering them
“biscuits and drinks” and
fielding their innocent queries
“with patience and a smile”.
“She was wonderful with
the children,” Ghosh said.
At the end, a delighted
First Lady wished she “had
more time to spend at the
museum”.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
54
HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA-US JOINT STATEMENT
he Joint Statement
T
reaffirms their na-
tions’ shared values
and increasing con-
vergence of interests, Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh and President Barack
Obama resolved today in
New Delhi to expand and
strengthen the India-U.S.
global strategic partnership.
The two leaders welcomed
the deepening relationship
between the world’s two
largest democracies. They
commended the growing co-
operation between their gov-
ernments, citizens,
businesses, universities and
scientific institutions, which
have thrived on a shared
Prime Minister culture of pluralism, educa-
Dr. Manmohan Singh tion, enterprise, and innova-
at the delegation
level talks with U.S. tion, and have benefited the
President Obama in
New Delhi on people of both countries.
November 8. Indian
Ambassador to the Building on the transfor-
U.S. Meera Shankar
is also seen.
mation in India-U.S. rela-
tions over the past decade,
the two leaders resolved to
intensify cooperation be-
INDIA, U.S. TO
tween their nations to pro-
mote a secure and stable
world; advance technology
and innovation; expand mu-
FORGE STRATEGIC
tual prosperity and global
economic growth; support
sustainable development;
PARTNERSHIP
and exercise global leader-
ship in support of economic
development, open govern-
ment and democratic values.
The two leaders reaffirmed
The Joint Statement issued after talks between Prime Minister that India-U.S. strategic part-
Dr. Manmohan Singh and U.S. President Barack Obama, reaffirms nership is indispensable not
that India-U.S. strategic partnership is indispensable not only for their only for their two countries
but also for global stability
two countries but also for global stability and prosperity in the 21st century and prosperity in the 21st
century. To that end, President
Obama welcomed India’s
emergence as a major re-
gional and global power and
affirmed his country’s interest
in India’s rise, its economic
prosperity, and its security.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
A GLOBAL STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIP FOR THE
21st CENTURY
Prime Minister Singh and
President Obama called for
an efficient, effective, credi-
ble and legitimate United
Nations to ensure a just and
sustainable international
order. Prime Minister Singh
welcomed President
Obama’s affirmation that, in
the years ahead, the United
States looks forward to a re-
formed UN Security Council
that includes India as a per-
...President Obama welcomed India’s emergence as a
major regional and global power and affirmed his
country’s interest in India’s rise, its economic prosperity,
and its security.
manent member. The two
leaders reaffirmed that all
nations, especially those that
seek to lead in the 21st cen-
tury, bear responsibility to
ensure that the United Na-
tions fulfills its founding
ideals of preserving peace
and security, promoting
global cooperation, and ad-
vancing human rights.
Prime Minister Singh and
President Obama reiterated
that India and the United
States, as global leaders, will
partner for global security,
especially as India serves on
the Security Council over
the next two years. The lead-
ers agreed that their delega-
tions in New York will
intensify their engagement
and work together to ensure
that the Council continues
to effectively play the role
envisioned for it in the
United Nations Charter.
HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA-US JOINT STATEMENT
Both leaders underscored
that all states have an obli-
gation to comply with and
implement UN Security
Council Resolutions, includ-
ing UN sanctions regimes.
They also agreed to hold
regular consultations on UN
matters, including on the
long-term sustainability of
UN peacekeeping opera-
tions. As the two largest
democracies, both countries
also reaffirmed their strong
commitment to the UN
Democracy Fund.
The two leaders have a
shared vision for peace, sta-
bility and prosperity in Asia,
the Indian Ocean region
and the Pacific region and
committed to work together,
and with others in the re-
gion, for the evolution of an
open, balanced and inclu-
sive architecture in the re-
gion. In this context, the
leaders reaffirmed their sup-
port for the East Asia Sum-
mit and committed to
regular consultations in this
regard. The United States
welcomes, in particular,
India’s leadership in expand-
ing prosperity and security
across the region. The two
leaders agreed to deepen ex-
isting regular strategic con-
sultations on developments
in East Asia, and decided to
expand and intensify their
strategic consultations to
cover regional and global is-
55
sues of mutual interest, in-
cluding Central and West
Asia.
The two sides committed
to intensify consultation, co-
operation and coordination
to promote a stable, demo-
cratic, prosperous, and inde-
pendent Afghanistan.
President Obama appreci-
ated India’s enormous con-
tribution to Afghanistan’s
development and welcomed
enhanced Indian assistance
that will help Afghanistan
achieve self-sufficiency. In
addition to their own inde-
pendent assistance pro-
grams in Afghanistan, the
two sides resolved to pursue
joint development projects
with the Afghan Govern-
ment in capacity building,
agriculture and women’s em-
powerment.
They reiterated that suc-
cess in Afghanistan and re-
gional and global security
require elimination of safe
havens and infrastructure
for terrorism and violent ex-
tremism in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. Condemning ter-
rorism in all its forms, the
two sides agreed that all ter-
rorist networks, including
Lashkar e-Taiba, must be
defeated and called for Pak-
istan to bring to justice the
perpetrators of the Novem-
ber 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Building upon the Counter
Terrorism Initiative signed in
INDIA REVIEW 2010
56
HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA-US JOINT STATEMENT
July 2010, the two leaders
announced a new Home-
land Security Dialogue be-
tween the Ministry of Home
Affairs and the Department
of Homeland Security and
agreed to further deepen op-
erational cooperation,
counter-terrorism technology
transfers and capacity build-
ing. The two leaders also
emphasized the importance
of close cooperation in com-
bating terrorist financing
and in protecting the inter-
national financial system.
In an increasingly inter-de-
The two Governments resolved to further strengthen
defense cooperation, including through security
dialogue, exercises, and promoting trade and
collaboration in defense equipment and technology...
pendent world, the stability
of, and access to, the air,
sea, space, and cyberspace
domains is vital for the secu-
rity and economic prosperity
of nations. Acknowledging
their commitment to open-
ness and responsible inter-
national conduct, and on
the basis of their shared val-
ues, India and the United
States have launched a dia-
logue to explore ways to
work together, as well as
with other countries, to de-
velop a shared vision for
these critical domains to
promote peace, security and
development. The leaders
reaffirmed the importance of
maritime security, unim-
peded commerce, and free-
dom of navigation, in
accordance with relevant
universally agreed principles
of international law, includ-
ing the United Nations Con-
INDIA REVIEW 2010
vention on the Law of the
Sea, and peaceful settlement
of maritime disputes.
The transformation in
India-U.S. defense coopera-
tion in recent years has
strengthened mutual under-
standing on regional peace
and stability, enhanced both
countries’ respective capaci-
ties to meet humanitarian
and other challenges such
as terrorism and piracy, and
contributed to the develop-
ment of the strategic part-
nership between India and
the United States. The two
Governments resolved to
further strengthen defense
cooperation, including
through security dialogue,
exercises, and promoting
trade and collaboration in
defense equipment and
technology. President
Obama welcomed India's de-
cision to purchase U.S. high-
technology defense items,
which reflects our strength-
ening bilateral defense rela-
tions and will contribute to
creating jobs in the United
States.
The two leaders affirmed
that their countries’ com-
mon ideals, complementary
strengths and a shared com-
mitment to a world without
nuclear weapons give them
a responsibility to forge a
strong partnership to lead
global efforts for non-prolif-
eration and universal and
non-discriminatory global
nuclear disarmament in the
21st century. They affirmed
the need for a meaningful
dialogue among all states
possessing nuclear weapons
to build trust and confi-
dence and for reducing the
salience of nuclear weapons
in international affairs and
security doctrines. They sup-
port strengthening the six
decade-old international
norm of non-use of nuclear
weapons. They expressed a
commitment to strengthen
international cooperative ac-
tivities that will reduce the
risk of terrorists acquiring
nuclear weapons or material
without reducing the rights
of nations that play by the
rules to harness the power
of nuclear energy to advance
their energy security. The
leaders reaffirmed their
shared dedication to work
together to realize the com-
mitments outlined at the
April 2010 Nuclear Security
Summit to achieve the goal
of securing vulnerable nu-
clear materials in the next
four years. Both sides ex-
pressed deep concern re-
garding illicit nuclear
trafficking and smuggling
and resolved to strengthen
international cooperative ef-
forts to address these
threats through the IAEA,
Interpol and in the context
of the Nuclear Security
Summit Communiqué and
Action Plan. The two sides
57
HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA-US JOINT STATEMENT
welcomed the Memorandum
of Understanding for coop-
eration in the Global Centre
for Nuclear Energy Partner-
ship being established by
India.
Both sides expressed deep
concern about the threat of
biological terrorism and
pledged to promote interna-
tional efforts to ensure the
safety and security of biolog-
ical agents and toxins. They
stressed the need to achieve
full implementation of the
Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention and
expressed the hope for a
successful BWC Review
Conference in 2011. The
United States welcomed
India’s destruction of its
chemical weapons stockpile
in accordance with the pro-
visions of the Chemical
Weapons Convention. Both
countries affirmed their
shared commitment to pro- constructive and immediate cooperation in civil space, the core principles of these national export control laws
moting the full and effective steps to meet its obligations defense, and other high- regimes, as the Government and policies. The Prime Min-
implementation of the CWC. to the IAEA and the UN Se- technology sectors. Com- of India takes steps towards ister and President commit-
The two leaders expressed curity Council. mensurate with India’s the full adoption of the ted to a strengthened and
regret at the delay in starting nonproliferation record and regimes’ export control re- expanded dialogue on ex-
negotiations in the Confer- TECHNOLOGY, INNOVA- commitment to abide by quirements to reflect its port control issues, through
ence on Disarmament for a TION, AND ENERGY multilateral export control prospective membership, fora such as the U.S.-India
multilateral, non-discrimina- Recognizing that India and standards, these steps in- with both processes moving High Technology Coopera-
tory and internationally and the United States should clude the United States re- forward together. In the view tion Group, on aspects of
effectively verifiable treaty play a leadership role in pro- moving Indian entities from of the United States, India capacity building, sharing of
banning the future produc- moting global nonprolifera- the U.S. Department of should qualify for member- best practices, and outreach
tion of fissile material for tion objectives and their Commerce’s “Entity List” and ship in the Australia Group with industry.
nuclear weapons or other desire to expand high tech- realignment of India in U.S. and the Wassenaar Arrange- The possibility of coopera-
nuclear explosive devices. nology cooperation and export control regulations. ment according to existing tion between the two na-
India reaffirmed its unilat- trade, Prime Minister Singh In addition, the United requirements once it im- tions in space, to advance
eral and voluntary morato- and President Obama com- States intends to support poses export controls over scientific knowledge and
rium on nuclear explosive mitted to work together to India’s full membership in all items on these regimes’ human welfare, are without
testing. The United States strengthen the global export the four multilateral export control lists. boundaries and limits. They
reaffirmed its testing morato- control framework and fur- control regimes (Nuclear Both leaders reaffirmed commended their space sci-
rium and its commitment to ther transform bilateral ex- Suppliers Group, Missile the assurances provided in entists for launching new
ratify the Comprehensive port control regulations and Technology Control Regime, the letters exchanged in initiatives in climate and
Test Ban Treaty and bring it policies to realize the full Australia Group, and Wasse- September 2004 and the weather forecasting for agri-
into force at an early date. potential of the strategic naar Arrangement) in a End-Use Visit Arrangement, culture, navigation, resource
The leaders reaffirmed partnership between the two phased manner, and to con- and determined that the two mapping, research and de-
their commitment to diplo- countries. sult with regime members to governments had reached velopment, and capacity
macy to resolve the Iranian Accordingly, the two lead- encourage the evolution of an understanding to imple- building. They agreed to
nuclear issue, and discussed ers decided to take mutual regime membership criteria, ment these initiatives consis- continue discussions on and
the need for Iran to take steps to expand U.S.-India consistent with maintaining tent with their respective seek ways to collaborate on
INDIA REVIEW 2010
58
HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA-US JOINT STATEMENT
future lunar missions, inter-
national space station,
human space flight and data
sharing, and to reconvene
the Civil Space Joint Work-
ing Group in early 2011.
They highlighted the just
concluded Implementing
Arrangement for enhanced
monsoon forecasting that
will begin to transmit de-
tailed forecasts to farmers
beginning with the 2011
monsoon rainy season as an
important example of bilat-
eral scientific cooperation
advancing economic devel-
opment, agriculture and
food security.
The two leaders welcomed
the completion of steps by
the two governments for im-
plementation of the India-
U.S. civil nuclear agreement.
They reiterated their com-
mitment to build strong
India-U.S. civil nuclear en-
ergy cooperation through
the participation of the U.S.
nuclear energy firms in India
on the basis of mutually ac-
ceptable technical and com-
mercial terms and
conditions that enable a vi-
able tariff regime for electric-
ity generated. They noted
that both countries had en-
acted domestic legislations
and were also signatories to
the Convention on Supple-
mentary Compensation.
They further noted that
India intends to ratify the
Convention on Supplemen-
tary Compensation within
the coming year and is com-
mitted to ensuring a level
playing field for U.S. compa-
nies seeking to enter the In-
dian nuclear energy sector,
consistent with India’s na-
tional and international legal
obligations.
India will continue to work
with the companies. In this
INDIA REVIEW 2010
context, they welcomed the
commencement of negotia-
tions and dialogue between
the Indian operator and U.S.
nuclear energy companies,
and expressed hope for early
commencement of commer-
cial cooperation in the civil
nuclear energy sector in
India, which will stimulate
economic growth and sus-
tainable development and
generate employment in
both countries.
Just as they have helped
develop the knowledge
economy, India and the
United States resolved to
strengthen their partnership
in creating the green econ-
omy of the future. To this
end, both countries have un-
dertaken joint research and
deployment of clean energy
resources, such as solar, ad-
vanced biofuels, shale gas,
and smart grids. The two
leaders also welcomed the
promotion of clean and en-
ergy efficient technologies
through the bilateral Part-
nership to Advance Clean
Energy (PACE) and ex-
panded cooperation with the
private sector. They wel-
comed the conclusion of a
new MoU on assessment
and exploration of shale gas
and an agreement to estab-
lish a Joint Clean Energy Re-
search Center in India as
important milestones in
their rapidly growing clean
energy cooperation.
The leaders discussed the
importance of working bilat-
erally, through the Major
Economies Forum (MEF),
and in the context of the in-
ternational climate change
negotiations within the
framework of the UNFCCC
to meet the challenge of cli-
mate change. Prime Minister
Singh and President Obama
reiterated the importance of
a positive result for the cur-
rent climate change negotia-
tions at the forthcoming
conference of the United
Nations Framework Conven-
tion on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in Mexico and af-
firmed their support for the
Copenhagen Accord, which
should contribute positively
to a successful outcome in
Cancun. To that end, the
leaders welcomed enhanced
cooperation in the area of
climate adaptation and sus-
tainable land use, and wel-
comed the new partnership
between the United States
and India on forestry pro-
grams and in weather fore-
casting.
INCLUSIVE GROWTH,
MUTUAL PROSPERITY,
AND ECONOMIC
COOPERATION
The two leaders stressed
that India and the United
States, anchored in democ-
racy and diversity, blessed
with enormous enterprise
and skill, and endowed with
synergies drawn from India’s
rapid growth and U.S. global
economic leadership, have a
natural partnership for en-
hancing mutual prosperity
and stimulating global eco-
nomic recovery and growth.
They emphasize innovation
not only as a tool for eco-
nomic growth and global
competitiveness, but also for
social transformation and
empowerment of people.
Prime Minister Singh and
President Obama celebrated
the recent growth in bilateral
trade and investment, char-
acterized by balanced and
rapidly growing trade in
goods and services. They
noted positively that the
United States is India’s
largest trading partner in
goods and services, and
India is now among the
fastest growing sources of
foreign direct investment en-
tering the United States. The
two leaders agreed on steps
to reduce trade barriers and
protectionist measures and
encourage research and in-
novation to create jobs and
improve livelihoods in their
countries.
They also welcomed ex-
panding investment flow in
both directions. They noted
growing ties between U.S.
and Indian firms and called
for enhanced investment
flows, including in India’s in-
frastructure sector, clean en-
ergy, energy efficiency,
aviation and transportation,
healthcare, food processing
sector and education. They
welcomed the work of the
U.S.-India CEO Forum to
expand cooperation between
the two countries, including
in the areas of clean energy
and infrastructure develop-
ment. They also encouraged
enhanced engagement by
Indian and American small
and medium-sized enter-
prises as a critical driver of
our economic relationship.
They looked forward to
building on these develop-
ments to realize fully the
enormous potential for trade
and investment between the
two countries.
Recognizing the people-to-
people dynamic behind
trade and investment
growth, they called for inten-
sified consultations on social
security issues at an appro-
priate time. The two leaders
agreed to facilitate greater
movement of professionals,
investors and business trav-
elers, students, and ex-
change visitors between their
countries to enhance their
economic and technological
partnership.
To enhance growth glob-
ally, the Prime Minster and
President highlighted both
nations’ interests in an am-
bitious and balanced con-
clusion to the WTO’s Doha
Development Agenda nego-
tiations, and in having their
negotiators accelerate and
expand the scope of their
substantive negotiations bi-
laterally and with other
WTO members to accom-
plish this as soon as possi-
ble. They agreed to work
together in the G-20 to
make progress on the broad
range of issues on its
agenda, including by en-
couraging actions consistent
with achieving strong, bal-
anced, and sustainable
growth, strengthening finan-
cial system regulation, re-
forming the international
financial institutions, en-
hancing energy security, re-
sisting protectionism in all
its forms, reducing barriers
to trade and investment, and
implementing the develop-
ment action plans.
Building on the historic
legacy of cooperation be-
tween the India and the
United States during the
Green Revolution, the lead-
ers also decided to work to-
gether to develop, test, and
replicate transformative
technologies to extend food
security as part of an Ever-
green Revolution. Efforts will
focus on providing farmers
the means to improve agri-
cultural productivity. Collab-
oration also will enhance
agricultural value chain and
strengthen market institu-
tions to reduce post-harvest
crop losses.
Affirming the importance
of India-U.S. health coopera-
tion, Prime Minister and the
President celebrated the
signing of an MOU creating
a new Global Disease Detec-
tion Regional Center in New
Delhi, which will facilitate
preparedness against threats
to health such as pandemic
influenza and other danger-
ous diseases.
Embracing the principles
of democracy and opportu-
nity, the leaders recognized
that the full future potential
of the partnership lies in the
hands of the next genera-
To enhance growth globally, the Prime Minster and
President highlighted both nations’ interests in an
ambitious and balanced conclusion to the WTO’s Doha
Development Agenda negotiations...
tion in both countries. To
help ensure that all mem-
bers of that generation enjoy
the benefits of higher educa-
tion, the Prime Minister and
the President agreed to con-
vene an India-U.S. Higher
Education Summit, chaired
by senior officials from both
countries in 2011, as part of
a continued effort to
strengthen educational op-
portunities. They welcomed
the progress made in imple-
menting the Singh-Obama
21st Century Knowledge Ini-
tiative that is expanding
links between faculties and
institutions of the two coun-
tries and the expansion in
the Nehru-Fulbright Pro-
gramme for Scholars.
Noting that the ties of kin-
ship and culture are an in-
creasingly important
dimension of India-U.S. rela-
tions, President Obama wel-
HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA-US JOINT STATEMENT
comed India’s decision to
hold a Festival of India in
Washington DC in 2011.
Recognizing the importance
of preserving cultural her-
itage, both governments re-
solved to initiate discussions
on how India and the
United States could partner
to prevent the illicit traffick-
ing of both countries’ rich
and unique cultural heritage.
A SHARED INTERNA-
TIONAL PARTNERSHIP
FOR DEMOCRACY AND
DEVELOPMENT
Consistent with their com-
mitments to open and re-
sponsive government, and
harnessing the expertise and
experience that the two
countries have developed,
the leaders launched a U.S.-
India Open Government Di-
alogue that will, through
public-private partnerships
and use of new technologies
and innovations, promote
their shared goal of democ-
ratizing access to informa-
tion and energizing civic
engagement, support global
initiatives in this area and
share their expertise with
other interested countries.
This will build on India’s
impressive achievements in
this area in recent years and
the commitments that the
President made to advance
an open government agenda
at the United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly.
59
The President and Prime
Minister also pledged to ex-
plore cooperation in support
of efforts to strengthen elec-
tions organization and man-
agement in other interested
countries, including through
sharing their expertise in
this area.
Taking advantage of the
global nature of their rela-
tionship, and recognizing
India’s vast development ex-
perience and historical re-
search strengths, the two
leaders pledged to work to-
gether, in addition to their
independent programmes, to
adapt shared innovations
and technologies and use
their expertise in capacity
building to extend food se-
curity to interested countries,
including in Africa, in con-
sultation with host govern-
ments.
Prime Minister Singh and
President Obama concluded
that their meeting is a his-
toric milestone as they seek
to elevate the India-U.S.
strategic partnership to a
new level for the benefit of
their nations and the entire
mankind. President Obama
thanked President Patil,
Prime Minister Singh, and
the people of India for their
extraordinary warmth and
hospitality during his visit.
The two leaders looked for-
ward to the next session of
the U.S.-India Strategic Dia-
logue in 2011.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
60 61
MEETING WITH PRESIDENT PRATIBHA PATIL MEETING WITH VICE PRESIDENT HAMID ANSARI

PRESIDENT
OBAMA President Obama
meeting India’s
President Pratibha

MEETS
Devisingh Patil,
at Rashtrapati
Bhavan,
in New Delhi on
November 8, 2010.

PRESIDENT
PATIL
S President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle called on Indian

U President Pratibha Patil in the evening of November 8, 2010, at the

Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The meeting was held in the Morning
Room of the Presidential Palace. Done up in bright yellow, the room was
adorned with Ajanta-style paintings and was personally redecorated by President
Pratibha Patil. The Morning Room was chosen over the North Drawing Room, which is
usually reserved for meeting with visiting Heads of States.
After their half-hour meeting, the Obamas took a walk around the beautiful Mughal
Gardens, lighted specially for the occasion. They then attended a grand reception
later at the garden, where a spectacular cultural extravaganza was also organized.
While welcoming President Obama, President Patil said “You are in our midst at a
time when India-U.S. relations have never been stronger and the promise and
potential of our partnership has never been greater.”
For the full text of President Patil’s speech, please see Page 64.

OBAMA’S V ice President Hamid Ansari on November

8 said that the visit of President Obama
to India will bring the people of the two

Vice President
VISIT WILL nations closer. Welcoming President Obama to
the Central Hall of Parliament for his address to
Mohd. Hamid Ansari
meeting President,
Obama, in New Delhi
on November 8, 2010.
BRING members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,
Vice President Ansari said India’s Constitution
had been inspired by the values of liberty, consti-

OUR tutionalism, law, political and cultural equality.

“We have accommodated diversity, eschewed

PEOPLES conflict and promoted peace,” he said. Ansari,

who is Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said that
the U.S. and India have to do much together.

CLOSER “We are confident the visit will bring our two
peoples closer,” he said.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

62
OBAMAS AT THE STATE BANQUET
L
ighted earthen diyas
lining the steps, colorful
rangolis on the floor,
pretty string lights on
the bushes, and the melodious
welcome song — Kesariya
balam, padharo mhare des...
(welcome to my land, beloved)
— captivated President Obama
and his wife Michelle Obama
during the State Banquet at
the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New
Delhi on November 8. The
State Banquet, hosted by Presi-
dent Pratibha Patil, was held
on the lush green Mughal Gar-
den lawns at the brightly illu-
minated Presidential Palace,
specially done up to welcome
the U.S. First Couple.
The Obamas called on
President Patil and held a half-
hour meeting with her at 7.30
pm in the Morning Room of
the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Done
up in bright yellow, the room
was adorned by Ajanta-style
paintings and had been
personally redecorated by
President Patil.
The whole passage leading
from the Rashtrapati Bhavan
to the Mughal Garden lawns
was lit up with earthen diyas,
string lights, and decorated
with flowers and rangoli. The
diya lights at the entrance
steps shimmered against the
evening dark — adding to the
grand ambience.
After the meeting in the
Morning Room, which was cho-
sen over the North Drawing
Room usually reserved to greet
visiting Heads of State, the Oba-
mas were taken on a round of
the beautifully lit Mughal Gar-
dens where Rajasthani singers
sang ‘Kesariya balam...’.
In her speech, President Patil
said India and the U.S. should
work together for global peace
INDIA REVIEW 2010
and stability and be partners in
diverse sectors like interna-
tional economic development,
clean energy, food and health
security. She also said the two
countries have “responsibilities
to work together for peace, sta-
bility and security in the world”.
Obama once again showered
praises on Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh, saying his
country and India were work-
ing together to build a global
partnership in the new century.
Later, the Obamas met the
invited guests along with Presi-
dent Patil and her husband
Devisingh Ramsingh
Shekhawat.
Over 100 guests were part of
the banquet, including Vice
President Hamid Ansari, Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
and his wife Gursharan Kaur,
Congress President Sonia
Gandhi and her son and Con-
gress General Secretary Rahul
Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party
leaders Sushma Swaraj and
Arun Jaitely, Samajwadi Party
leader Mulayam Singh Yadav
and business magnates like
Tata Group Chairman Ratan
INDIAN
DELICACIES
WOW
OBAMAS
The overall ambience as well
as the mouth-watering Indian
delicacies captivated the Obamas
during the State Banquet at
Rashtrapati Bhavan
Tata and Mukesh Ambani and
his wife Nita were present.
Clad in a cream and green
sari, President Patil had Presi-
dent Obama and wife Michelle,
who was in a gray dress, seated
at her table, along with former
President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,
Dr. Manmohan Singh and
Sonia Gandhi.
After the Rajasthani songs, it
was time for showcasing India’s
cultural extravaganza in a 20-
minute performance that in-
cluded musicians playing Indian
percussion instruments like the
mridangam, tabla, ghatam and
khanjeera. The percussionists
were led by musician Guruvar
Dorai and V. Raja Rao.
Then followed a choreogra-
phy titled ‘Maitrayee’ — a mix of
India’s diverse classical dances
in which Bharatanatyam,
Odissi and Kathak were show-
cased. It was put together by
Seher — an organization com-
63
OBAMAS AT THE STATE BANQUET
THE SPREAD AT
THE STATE BANQUET:
VEGETABLE CLEAR SOUP
ACHARI FISH TIKKA
CHICKEN SHAMI KEBAB
PALAK PAPDI CHAAT
PISHTA MURG
SUNHERI KALIYA
BHARVA PARWAL
MAKAI HARA PYAZ
DAL SHAHI JEERA PULAO
ASSORTED INDIAN BREADS
SALAD RAITA
PINEAPPLE HALWA
CHANA PAI
HERBAL TEA WITH
SOUTH INDIAN COFFEE
the group, bringing smiles on
the faces of Prime Minister
Singh and President Obama.
The cultural show was organ-
ized to showcase India’s rich
mitted to the promotion of cul- culture and heritage.
ture. The 16-member Shillong As the guests settled down
Chamber Choir enthralled with to a sumptuous dinner, the
a melange of songs from the Navy Band took over, playing
northeast of India. The group lilting music from old Bolly-
had grabbed the gold at the wood hits of the 1960s and
World Choir Olympics. The 70s, including ‘Awara Hoon..’
choir also sang a friendship The banquet consisted of a
song from an Indian film and a mouth-watering repast of In-
song written by an American dian delicacies — from pineap-
gospel singer. ‘Yeh Dosti Hum ple halwa, to achari fish tikka,
Nahi Todenge..’ — the hit Bolly- chicken shami kebab and even
wood number — was sung by palak papdi chaat.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
64 65
OBAMAS AT THE STATE BANQUET REACTIONS TO THE OBAMA VISIT

Indian President Pratibha

Patil hosted a State Banquet in
honor of President Obama at
the Rashtrapati Bhavan on No-
vember 8, 2010. The following
is the text of President Patil’s
speech at the banquet:
President Pratibha Patil
making her opening
remarks at the
State Banquet in honor of
President Obama at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan on
November 8, 2010

WHAT
It is a great honor and privi-
lege, Mr. President, to welcome
you this evening. You are in have the strength of our values
our midst at a time when and the benefit of our experi-

EXPERTS
India-U.S. relations have never ence to make our own modest
been stronger and the promise paradigm of cooperation. contribution to this cause.
and potential of our partner- There are many ties that Excellency, we cannot make

AND
ship has never been greater. bind our two nations together. our world more prosperous
From different paths and dif- Nearly 3 million people of without making our people
ferent circumstances, Indians Indian origin in the United safer. As democracies, we have

and Americans have reached
the same conclusion: that
democracy is a universal ideal
and justice, dignity and oppor-
tunity are universal aspirations.
At important moments in
our history — for example, dur-
ing India's freedom struggle
and the American Civil Rights
Movement — we have inspired
each other. The lives and mes-
sage of Mahatma Gandhi and
Martin Luther King reflect our
shared vision, our common
struggles and our collective
hopes. Nothing echoes this
better than the words of Martin
Luther King, “If humanity is to
progress, Gandhi is inescapable.
He lived, thought, and acted,
inspired by the vision of hu-
manity evolving toward a world
of peace and harmony.” Your
own admiration for Mahatma
Gandhi reflects this continuing
philosophical bond between
our peoples.
Today, we have built a strong
strategic partnership on the solid
bedrock of shared ideals and
common interests. The historic
Civil Nuclear Initiative is an in-
strument and a symbol of our
transformed relations. But, across
virtually every field of human
endeavor, we have explored
new frontiers and redefined the
States act as a bridge of friend-
ship, including over 100,000
Indian students in the United
States, who along with the
growing number of young
Americans coming to India, are
sowing the seeds of future
partnerships. Our enterprises,
scientists, engineers, technolo-
gists and academics are creat-
ing partnerships that generate
hope for the future.
We have, therefore, enor-
mous potential to work to-
gether for a sustainable and
inclusive global economic de-
velopment, to address the chal-
lenges of infrastructure, clean
energy, food security and
health security, and educate
and empower the youth, espe-
cially our women, for the re-
sponsibilities of the new era.
Our two nations are well
placed to harness the power of
innovation, not only for tech-
nological leadership and global
competitiveness, but also as a
tool for economic empower-
ment and social transformation.
I am pleased that today we
have announced initiatives to
benefit not only our peoples,
but also fulfill our responsibility
to humankind. We have the hu-
mility to know that we do not
have all the answers, but we
a profound responsibility to
work together for peace, stabil-
ity and security in the world.
We must continue our joint ef-
forts to reform global institu-
tions to reflect contemporary
realities, and increase their ef-
fectiveness in meeting current
challenges.
This is a time of great chal-
lenges in the world, but never
has the opportunity been
greater, the environment better,
and the need more urgent for
our two countries to work to-
gether and lead global efforts
to seek a safer, more prosperous
and more sustainable future, full
of goodwill for this world.
Your visit, Mr. President, has
been a historic milestone in
our shared journey. Excellen-
cies and Distinguished Guests,
may I now request you to join
me in raising a toast to:-
m The good health of His
Excellency, President
Obama, and Her Excel-
lency, Mrs. Obama;
m To the prosperity and well-
being of the people of the
United States; and
m To further strengthening of
the bonds of cooperation
and friendship between
India and the United
States.
CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN
SECURITY: “NATURAL ALLIES: A
BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE OF
US-INDIA RELATIONS” BY RICHARD
L. ARMITAGE, CO-CHAIR,
R. NICHOLAS BURNS, CO-CHAIR,
AND RICHARD FONTAINE (OCT 2010)
he emergence of India as a
T new major global power is
transforming the world’s
geopolitical landscape, with
profound implications for the future
trajectory of our century and for Amer-
ica’s own global interests.
A strengthened US-India strategic
LEADERS SAY…
partnership is thus imperative in this
new era. The transformation of U.S. ties
with New Delhi over the past 10 years,
led by Presidents Clinton and Bush,
stands as one of the most significant
triumphs of recent American foreign pol-
icy. It has also been a bipartisan success.
We believe it is critical to rejuvenate
the US-India partnership and put U.S.
relations with India on a more solid
foundation. The relationship requires a
bold leap forward. The United States
should establish a vision for what it
seeks in the relationship and give con-
crete meaning to the phrase “strategic
partnership.”
In order to chart a more ambitious
US-India strategic partnership, we be-
lieve that the United States should
commit, publicly and explicitly, to work
with India in support of its permanent
membership in an enlarged UN Secu-
rity Council; seek a broad expansion of
bilateral trade and investment, begin-
ning with a Bilateral Investment Treaty;
greatly expand the security relationship
and boost defense trade; support In-
dian membership in key export control
organizations, a step toward integrating
India into global nonproliferation ef-
forts; and liberalize U.S. export controls,
including the removal of Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) sub-
sidiaries from the U.S. Entity List.
The U.S. relationship with India
should be rooted in shared interests
and values and should not be simply
transactional or limited to occasional
collaboration. India’s rise to global
power is, we believe, in America’s strate-
gic interest. As a result, the United
States should not only seek a closer re-
lationship with India, but actively assist
its further emergence as a great power.

INDIA REVIEW 2010 INDIA REVIEW 2010

66
REACTIONS TO THE OBAMA VISIT
SENATOR JOHN McCAIN
AT THE CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT
FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
NOVEMBER 5, 2010
The emergence of a strategic partner-
ship with India has been one of the
most consequential bipartisan successes
of recent U.S. foreign policy. It began
with President Bill Clinton’s historic visit
to India in 2000. It grew exponentially
with President George W. Bush’s strate-
gic decision to invest America’s global
influence in the propulsion of India’s
rise to power — a decision that reached
its fullest expression in the ground-
breaking civilian nuclear agreement.
Our new partnership with India has
been consistently affirmed, sustained,
and broadened by overwhelming bipar-
tisan majorities in Congress. And with
the President set to arrive in New Delhi
tomorrow, the potential to expand our
partnership is immense.
Of course, our progress to date would
have been inconceivable without the
strategic vision and political courage of
many Indian leaders, especially Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh. The Prime
Minister literally risked his government
and his political life to achieve the civil-
nuclear agreement, and he has never
wavered in the fight to defend his vision
of a partnership with the United States—
doing so in a democratic arena that
can make American politics appear
tame by comparison.
On our side, Tuesday’s election was a
INDIA REVIEW 2010
reminder, as if we needed one, that
Americans will always have plenty to
fight about. But I am pleased that the
US-India relationship hasn’t been one
of them. We need to keep it that way.
We need to continue to elevate our
partnership with India above the politi-
cal fray, because its potential benefits
are just too important to America, to
India, and to the world.
Furthermore, it is because of our
shared values that we view the rise of
India as inherently good in itself. …Who
can believe in “Asian values” or doubt
the universality of democratic capital-
ism in a world where India exists?
Therefore, contrary to the old dictates
of realpolitik, we seek not to limit or di-
minish India’s rise, but to bolster and
catalyze it economically, geopolitically,
and yes, militarily. In short, the United
States has a compelling stake in the
success of India.
To unleash the full potential of our
partnership, we must resist the forces
that would turn our strategic relation-
ship into a transactional one—one de-
fined not by what we do together but
by what concessions we extract from
one another. We must also resist the
temptation to lose our strategic focus
by failing to set priorities. The virtue of
the US-India relationship is its breadth.
The United States should push for
India’s inclusion in the International
Energy Agency, the Asia-Pacific Eco-
nomic Cooperation forum, and those
parts of the global non-proliferation
regime from which India is still excluded.
Most of all, the United States should
support India’s permanent membership
on an expanded UN Security Council. If
we want India to join us in sharing the
responsibilities for international peace
and security, then the world’s largest
democracy needs to have a seat at the
high table of international politics.
PRESS RELEASE, U.S. SENATE
FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE,
“CHAIRMAN JOHN KERRY SUPPORTS
INDIA BECOMING PERMANENT
MEMBER OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL”
NOVEMBER 8, 2010
“I endorse President Obama’s support
for India’s inclusion as a permanent
member of a reformed and expanded
United Nations Security Council.  The
UN must reflect the realities of the 21st
century, and one of those realities is
India’s unquestioned global stature.”
FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE:
ARE US-INDIA RELATIONS OVERSOLD?
BY DAN TWINING,
NOVEMBER 12, 2010
His (President Obama) biggest success
was his embrace of a transformative
partnership with India. The President
can now claim ownership of a relation-
ship that has been on the rocks since
he took office, and he deserves consid-
erable credit for arguing that India’s rise
and success as a future democratic su-
perpower is a core interest of the
United States.
The President’s vision of a far-reach-
ing partnership with India — to manage
global diplomatic and security chal-
lenges, tie the two countries together in
a mutually beneficial economic em-
brace, and promote freedom and rule
of law in Asia and beyond -- was brac-
ing. Obama’s warm reception by the In-
dian parliament, commentariat, and
public bodes well for future ties be-
tween the world’s oldest and the world’s
largest democracies.
US ASIA PACIFIC COUNCIL
WASHINGTON REPORT
VOLUME NOVEMBER 2010
ENGAGING INDIA IN A GLOBAL
PARTNERSHIP
BY AMB. KARL F. INDERFURTH
Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bi-
hari Vajpayee, who governed from 1998
to 2004, first expressed the view that
the United States and India are “nat-
ural allies.” I think that still best cap-
tures where we are heading in this
relationship.
In particular, we want to assist and
support India in becoming a full stake-
holder in the international community.
This would entail India joining all of
the key organizations and groupings
that will be making decisions about the
broad array of challenges confronting
us in the years ahead.
New Delhi also took part in the inter-
national nuclear summit hosted by
President Obama this past April. Before
the conclusion of the US-India Civil
REACTIONS TO THE OBAMA VISIT
Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in
2007, we probably would not have seen
India take part in that kind of summit.
Now it is becoming an integral part of
the global nonproliferation mainstream.
Many of us believe strongly that India
should be made a permanent member
of the UN Security Council. I was,
therefore, delighted that President
Obama used the occasion of his speech
to the Indian parliament to endorse the
elevation of India’s status in the United
Nations. As the President suggested in
his remarks, the time is ripe for this
change, which is consistent with our de-
sire to see India become a full stake-
holder in the international community.
It also would reflect more properly the
power realities of the 21st century.
There will continue to be differences
between the two countries largely be-
cause neither country will behave as
the junior partner to the other.
It is very important for the United
States and India to continue to have in-
depth consultations about Afghanistan
and its future and what the two coun-
tries can do individually and together to
assist Afghanistan in becoming a stable,
secure, and prosperous country. India
already has made valuable contribu-
tions to Afghanistan’s development and
hopefully can do more over time.
There is no doubt that a major foun-
dation of a new relationship with India
will be in the economic and defense
areas. We’ve come a long way in a short
period of time. I am very pleased that
the Obama administration under Secre-
tary of Defense Gates launched a com-
prehensive review of US export controls!
A review that will do more than simply
chip away at some of the barnacles that
have developed over time.
67
FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE
“TRIUMPH IN NEW DELHI“
BY ASHLEY J. TELLIS | NOVEMBER
16, 2010
In India, where the stakes of the trip
were highest, the President’s visit was a
ringing success. The visit marked the
first time that Obama himself provided
clear and unmistakable judgments
about India. “In Asia and around the
world, India is not simply emerging,”
Obama said both at a news conference
and in speaking to India’s Parliament.
“India has emerged.” Responding to
this reality, Obama endorsed, for the
first time ever, India’s claim to a perma-
nent seat on the United Nations Secu-
rity Council. His support for India –
over treaty allies like Germany and
other claimants such as Brazil – spoke
volumes about the importance that the
United States places on its alliance with
India as an emerging power. Obama
also announced a far-reaching initiative
that expands India’s access to U.S. high-
tech equipment. In exchange for an In-
dian commitment to continually upgrade
its export control system, an important
step toward tightening the global non-
proliferation regime, Obama declared
that the United States would permit
India to purchase previously restricted
commodities, such as systems useful for
defense and space applications.
As Obama noted during his trip, the
relationship between the United States
and India is one of the “defining and
indispensable partnerships of the 21st
century.” His visit there has helped
bring the two countries together on
shared interests and moved their rela-
tionship forward significantly.
INDIA REVIEW 2010
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A D I E U ...
M A S BID
OBA
President Barack
Obama and his
wife Michelle wave
after boarding Air
Force One in New
Delhi on November
9, 2010.

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