|
Over the past two years we have witnessed the beginning of a transformation that will open
opportunities for the United States and India that would have been unimaginable a few years ago. We have taken important steps forward to bridge previous mistrust and lay the foundation for what I believe will be a crucial partnership for the 21st century.
Our leaders, President Bush and Prime Minister Vajpayee, have recognised this great opportunity and had the wisdom to act on it. Today, many areas of bilateral cooperation are expanding very quickly. Our Next Steps in the Strategic Partnership initiative has begun and must now be implemented to bring the fruits of cooperation on civil nuclear issues, the peaceful use of space technology, high technology commerce, and ultimately missile defense. These areas of cooperation are very complex, requiring attention to detail and patience to create the framework which will ensure that we meet our shared objectives. Once that is accomplished, we will be open to significant new business opportunities for both India and the United States. In addition, joint military exercises, visits and exchanges, collaboration in scientific and medical research, joint economic and social development projects, cooperation in law enforcement, and strengthened educational and cultural initiatives are showing the way forward.
The other night I had the pleasure of introducing Secretary of State Powell’s video address to the India Today Conclave whose theme, “India Tomorrow: Building an Indian Century,” seemed a very good example of thinking big. I raised two questions. Is this vision justified? Is it realistic? The US view would be affirmative on both counts and is already reflected in the US policy.
Our developing relationship has a multiplicity of themes, which are already visible, but its roots lie in our common values and interests as democratic societies committed to political freedom, representative government, tolerance for religious and social diversity, rule of law, and, at this moment in time, the fight against terrorism.
The 21st century looks very bright for India. Prospects for sustained growth are good. India has a very large young population, which will be a driving force in India’s rise. India has the world’s largest middle class, growing at an impressive rate and showing all the signs of restless ambition and increasing confidence on many fronts. Your scientific and information technology resources are impressive. The peace initiative launched by Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf, as well as a series of Indo-Pak confidence-building measures, are reasons for optimism, and the US strongly supports these important efforts.
Moving to the next level
To you - India’s leading business community - and speaking as a businessman and banker - we can say we’ve made a good beginning - always important in a long-term investment or marketing campaign. How do we move to the next level?
The answer is that when two nations envision a major strategic alliance in today’s shrinking world of market-driven economies, that relationship must incorporate far more than strong bilateral government-to-government initiatives. Among democracies, it is people who must engage. People in large and small scale organizations and institutions. People in great corporations, universities, health centers, hospitals, research institutes, financial markets, cultural pursuits, agricultural cooperatives, non-governmental organizations, and certainly the media and entertainment.
The core of the process is individuals working with individuals. History will attest to the fact that great national partnerships and alliances in the modern world thrive when all elements of government, corporate and civil societies are engaged. And sometimes, dare I say it, the private sector runs well ahead of the public sector.
As a private sector person - although with considerable government experience — one is struck by the basic imbalance which characterises the US-India relationship today. I refer here to the dominance of the government-to-government part of the relationship versus the relatively small private sector portion. If one observes the links between the United States and its major friends and allies, it is immediately apparent that only a relatively small percentage of the total relationship is government-to-government activity. A far larger part is the full range of other activities I have mentioned above.
In part, this may be explained by the unusual history of US-India relations and the fact that only very recently has an important shift taken place. The US and India now have a freestanding nation-to-nation relationship that stands on its own and is limited in its development only by what we fail to do together. What has been declared to be a strategic relationship must now become a comprehensive relationship. There is enormous potential for such a transformation. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where you come in.
Empowering true engagement
There was extensive discussion (during Secretary Powell’s recent visit to India) about how to go about revitalizing the US-India Economic Dialogue, including the need to set targets and timelines for accomplishing set objectives. The Economic Dialogue consists of five tracks: trade, finance, energy, environment, and commerce. The objectives of the Economic Dialogue include better coordination of discussions and activities between the two governments, soliciting the support of their respective private sectors, and incorporating their views into government decisions and actions. The Economic Dialogue can be a powerful tool to help move our economic relationship forward.
A future of great potential
As we look to the future, I believe that close and collaborative strategic relations between America and India will flourish. It will take continuous effort to make this happen. Three areas stand out as the major challenges: creating the comprehensive relationship which I have elaborated between the US and India in the sphere of economic progress, trade, investment and growth; continuing to confront the threat of international terror; and stopping the further spread of weapons of mass destruction.
These interests are served by building on our government-to-government relations, but they will be carried forward by a rich diversity of direct interaction between the peoples of our two nations. The support of public opinion in both countries is vital to meet these challenges. Democratic governments do not direct their people with whom to interact. Instead they create the conditions of strategic friendship and openness that empowers business and individuals to seize the initiative.
This is happening. Today, there is more contact between our two countries than ever before. Millions of Indians live and work in the United States. Many of your children and relatives are in the United States, working, going to school, and starting businesses. The overall visa issuance rate for India is the same today as it was before 9/11. Long visa lines at US diplomatic facilities in India are a thing of the past. In fact, India has become the second greatest source of legal immigration to the United States, second only to Mexico. And India is also the single largest source of foreign students in the United States for the second straight year, with nearly 75,000 on American campuses. It makes me optimistic just to think of all those Indian students on the campuses and in the towns of America. Think of their potential impact on the future. We all know the extraordinary and growing intellectual, political, cultural and economic contributions Indian Americans are making to US society.
I have tried to project the beginning of a vision for the growth of a comprehensive US-India relationship. The major part of this relationship has yet to materialize. Its potential lies chiefly in the multiplicity of possibilities in our private societies. Our governments must make sure that we can engage in all fields, do business together, trade, and invest in each other’s futures. Barriers need to be removed and disincentives cleared away, so that we can strengthen the strategic partnership that now exists between the world’s two largest democracies. I am personally committed to transforming our relationship in a way that lifts our strategic partnership to a higher plane and builds our mutual interest in sustained growth, development, job creation, and regional stability.
|
