'A good ambassador needs to know, and to represent, the interests of the United States. In South Asia, career officers have done well by this standard; so have most of the non-career appointees.' Career diplomat Nancy J Powell, the US ambassador to India, resigned on Monday. Retired United States ambassadors Howard B Schaffer and Teresita C Schaffer look at how political appointees and career diplomats sent as envoys to India and South Asia have fared over the years.
The strengthening ties between India and United States have made Pakistan paranoid. Fearing that US might just discard it, Pakistan is now turning to its "enduring friend" China, believe America's powerful couple in diplomatic circles -- former ambassadors Howard and Teresita Schaffer. Aziz Haniffa reports
Noted South Asia analysts have warned the Obama administration to stay away from trouble-shooting in Kashmir despite the upsurge of violence in the Valley that has prompted some policy wonks urge the United States to be pro-active acquire a high profile vis--vis this dispute to stave off another India-Pakistan conflict if the situation unravels.
Veteran diplomat Howard B Schaffer pinpoints the reasons behind United States's reluctance to get involved in the Kashmir imbroglio, and the changing hues of the insurgency in the Valley.
No book on South Asia published in recent years has received the kudos veteran diplomat Howard B Schaffer's The Limits of Influence: America's Role in Kashmir, published by Brookings Institution Press, elicited.In an interview with rediff.com's Aziz Haniffa, he explains why the Barack Obama administration should intervene in resolving the contentious Kashmir issue.
Veteran diplomat Howard B Schaffer says if Delhi continues to be in denial, and Islamabad is tempted to stoke the fires as it always has, the Kashmir situation could unravel fast.
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