Strategic Dialogue to set tone of Indo-US ties: Experts

Even though threatened to be eclipsed by economic issues, the fourth India-US Strategic Dialogue next week would set the tone of engagement between the two countries during the second term of President Barack Obama, eminent American experts have said.
"It will be the first meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and therefore likely to set the tone of engagement between the two countries during President Obama's second term," they say.
"It (Strategic Dialogue) will define the agenda for US-Indian relations for the duration of US President Barack Obama's second term. It will also be the first time that Kerry meets his counterpart, Indian Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid, in a formal setting," Ashley Tellis, from the Carnegie Endowment said.

A known South-Asia expert in Washington, Tellis said the centerpiece of the talks will be the conversations Kerry has with Khurshid and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the direction of the US-Indian relationship and what must be done to deepen it further.
Tellis said the dialogue should have three aims.
"The first and most important objective for Kerry, in my view, must be building personal relationships. Developing a rapport with his Indian counterpart will do more for the bilateral relationship than any specific "deliverables" at this juncture because the myriad activities under way are already yielding their own fruits outside of the public eye," he said.

"The second objective should be having a freewheeling but comprehensive conversation about the state of the world, particularly the situation in Asia and important subregions such as East Asia, the Middle East, and the larger South Asian area," he said.
"The third objective should be encouraging India to accelerate the economic reforms that it began two decades ago but has yet to complete. If implemented, these reforms would offer the best opportunities for deepening the bilateral relationship. For that reason, they merit serious conversation," Tellis said.
In their joint piece, Karl F Inderfurth, the former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, and Donald A Camp, the former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs stressed on the need for a "whole-of-government" approach.