[This is, obviously, a pretty steep climb down from the similar occasions in the recent past.
The George W Bush Administration had taken the pathbreaking initiative to rescue India from the hopeless, and seemingly, punitive exile from the global nuclear market - as Asley Tellis would put it to set India up as the main, or at least a major, challenger to the rising China in the Asia-Pacific. And, under Obama Administration, after a period of initial chill, things moved even further ahead. The signing of the logistic support agreements between the two countries, radically breaking with India's past tradition, is one symbolic milestone in the roll out of Administration's Asia Pivot Doctrine. And, Modi was treated like a rock star by the Indian-American community on his trips. With Trump in office, everything is confused. Even after five months, it did not have the occasion to appoint an Ambassador to India, since the very abrupt sacking of the previous one, Richard Verma. In the meanwhile, the prospect of one Mr Shalabh Kumar, the founding leader of the Republican Hindu Coalition, which had campaigned hard for Trump in the last Presidential poll, among the Indian Hindus in the US - a self-proclaimed Modi fan and prediced "unparalleled" friendhip between these two state leaders, who was widely tipped for the post, has almost entirely wilted. While for India, there are a number of burning economic issues - H1B visas for Indians, the freedom of operations for the Indian tech companies in the US, and, on top of all, "America First" vis-a-vis 'Make in India". Apart from the issue of trade balance and the very different stances of the two countries as regards the Paris Climate Agreement. Modi, quite likely, too concerned about the optics, would largely dodge thes issues and mainly focus on extracting from Trump assurances to corner Pakistan and China, both militarily and economically, with India as a major accomplice. (To Modi's considerable disadvantage, Trump's rhetorics as regards China have undergone virtually a sea change, after the latter country took proactive measures to grant special consessions to business interests of Trump's kith and kin in China. But, at the end, things remain very much uncertain, as yet. Could very well continue to be so even post meeting.] I/II. http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Forget-dinner-menu-even-the-agenda-is-fluid-24062017007021 Jun 24 2017 : The Times of India (Delhi) Forget dinner menu, even the agenda is fluid Chidanand Rajghatta Washington: SLEW OF CONTENTIOUS ISSUES CASTS A SHADOW OVER PRIME MINISTER'S TRIP TO THE US The only thing predictable about the Trump White House is its unpredictability , so a sense of uncertainty characterises PM Modi's first engagement with the 45th US Presidentthis weekend. Bilateral engagements will involve one-on-one talks on Monday , followed by a delegation-level meeting, and possibly a dinner that isn't set in stone or on paper -a far cry from the elaborate choreography of such events in previous White House dispensations, where even menus were decided weeks in advance. There have been expressions of intent on both sides to continue building on ties that have been on the upswing for over three decades. But a slew of contentious issues casts a shadow. The current outlook towards New Delhi of the dominant nationalist wing of the administration is bleak where economy is concerned despite Trump's Indian-American cheerleaders trying to drum up enthusiasm. This was reflected in the most recent critique by Trump about New Delhi purportedly demanding “billions and billions and billions“ of dollars to adhere to the Paris climate agreement that he feels in any case diverted US jobs to India. Richard Rossow, senior adviser and Wadhwani chair in USIndia policy studies at thinktank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said though leaders in both countries reiterate the standard line that they prioritise the other, “...we have seen increased frictions in the last six months“. The primary -and fundamental -differences involve outlook on trade, on whether globalisation is good or bad. Dragged into the global economy kicking and screaming in the 1990s, India -now long used to its benefits after taking advantage of its low-cost workforce -is suddenly finding Washington a reluctant practitioner.That includes contentious guest-worker visa issues, which New Delhi views as a free trade matter and Washington prefers to look at as an immigration issue.“The Modi-Trump summit on June 26 is a singular chance to get an early , favourable course correction“, on such issues, failing which there is a risk of a four-year freeze in ties, warns Rossow. Still, both sides are upbeat on defence and security issues, and a slew of supplies and sales are expected to be announced to offset other wrinkles. II. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/grate-news-india-plays-it-low-key-in-modis-us-visit-to-meet-trump/articleshow/59302866.cms Not 'grate' news: India plays it low-key in Modi's US visit to meet Trump Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN | Updated: Jun 24, 2017, 11.04 PM IST HIGHLIGHTS Modi's US trip likely to be a low key affair compared to his earlier visits to the country PM to meet top Silicon Valley CEOs, including many of Indian origin Modi to meet US President Trump at the White House WASHINGTON: Tread softly, or you tread on my... turf. Paraphrasing salutary advice by the poet Yeats may well be India's guiding principle as Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on his first visit to Washington DC in a Donald Trump Presidency. Just days after President Trump met with top US CEOs at the White House to discuss a government overhaul, Modi is holding an identical meeting on Sunday with American honchos just a stone's throw away in Willard Hotel. The hotel originated the term lobbying (because President Ulysses Grant was accosted in the lobby here when he took a break from the White House), and by 'hanging out' rather conspicuously together here, Modi and the CEOs are quietly lobbying the Trump administration to go easy on the nationalistic rhetoric that has put a hex on global business. The guest list for the meeting, expected to discuss investment, trade, and visa issues, is similar to the Trump meeting attendees: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Cisco CEO John Chambers, among others, will exchange thoughts with Modi. But what is striking in the Modi list is the number of CEOs of Indian-origin, several of whom also attended the Trump meeting. Among them: Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Adobe's Shantanu Narayen, and Mastercard's Ajay Banga. Google's Sundar Pichai and Deloitte Global CEO Punit Renjen, who were not at the Trump meeting, will also be at the Modi meeting. The Indian side is trying to keep the event low key so as to not ruffle feather in the White House, where Trump's senior advisor Steve Bannon, who leads the nationalist brigade, is known to hold a bleak view of the rise of Asian-Americans in Silicon Valley. Most Silicon Valley CEOs and senior executives are liberal democrats, and the chasm between the Trump White House and the Bay Area/ California/ West Coast in general is vast. The Modi jamboree is also hosting a relatively low-key community event at the Ritz-Carlton in Tyson's Corner, across the river from Washington DC in a Virginia suburb. The hotel's 14,000 sq feet ballroom can accommodate just 1500 people, a far cry from the more than 15,000 Indian-Americans who crowded into Madison Square Gardens in New York and the San Jose Center in Silicon Valley, two big events that set the template for Indian diaspora gatherings across the world. Top Comment An uninvited guest has to play a low profile role. Rajaram Manyam Although the Greater Washington DC area, home to 150,000 people of Indian-origin, could easily host the event at a bigger venue such as the Washington Convention Center or bigger ballrooms in several DC hotels (including Trump International!), there appears to have been a conscious effort not to diss the President who is fond of boasting about the size of his rallies. New Delhi has for years carped about how visits by the Indian Prime Minister to the US don't get adequate media coverage. For a change, Indian mandarins are quite happy with it. They may even be relieved that Prime Minister Modi has about two million less Twitter followers than President Trump: 31 million to 32.7 million. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
