S Asia May Not Feature In Senate Hearings

As US Secretary of State designate Madeleine Albright steps up for her Senate confirmation hearings this week South Asia is unlikely to get its moment in the spotlight. I would be extremely surprised if she gets even one question on South Asia, said Richard Haas, director of foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution.

Ironically, the confirmation hearings are scheduled for the same week that Haas and an independent panel of South Asia watchers chose to release a report urging a fresh look at American policy towards the region.

The independent task force report, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, urges the Clinton administration to veer away from the recent American focus on nuclear issues in the subcontinent. Action on a broad range of US interests