A very smart take from MK Bhadrakumar in Asia Times Online on the potential bumps in the road for U.S.-India relations under an Obama administration. Interestingly enough, the Bush administration viewed India predominantly through the lens of China policy. Hence the emphasis on the U.S.-India nuclear deal. With Obama’s commitment to reversing the unraveling situation in Afghanistan, he is more likely to see India through the lens of Afghanistan policy. Hence his emphasis on resolving the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan. As for the nuclear deal, he very cleverly supports it, while pushing very strongly for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty [...]
In his recent WPR piece on the IPI pipeline project, Siddarth Srivastava examined India’s shifting calculus on engaging Iran, now that its nuclear deal with the U.S. has been approved by the NSG and the U.S Congress. Interesting to see that the same difficulties plaguing the IPI are present in a rail project an Indian consortium was developing in Iran as well. Also worth noting is that the country waiting in the wings should India fail to back the project in both cases is China. It’s easy to overlook this little detail, but under normal circumstances, revolutionary communist regimes and [...]
NEW DELHI — The Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline — a proposed $7.5 billion, 2,700-kilometer pipeline linking Iran’s abundant natural gas reserves to energy-hungry Pakistan and India — has been under consideration for years. But despite both India’s and Pakistan’s desperate need for energy sources, progress on the project has been hampered so far by strategic calculations, mutual suspicions and disagreements on pricing and tariffs. Indications, however, are that the Iran-Pakistan stretch of the pipeline may take off soon. And with the U.S.-India nuclear agreement now concluded, India might be giving it more serious consideration, too. Officials in India’s foreign ministry [...]
