The Assistant Secretary of State said trade and agriculture is a major pillar of Indo-US relationship.
"I don't think there needs to be any concern in India about what the president said in China. We have very important relations with China. But we have equally important relations with India," the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, told media persons at a news briefing.
Opponents of the clause argue that the real world is too complicated to be viewed in these terms. The opposition comes from economists as well as politicians in other countries.
The Barack Obama administration is honouring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as its first state guest later this month, during which 'at least 10-12 agreements and MoUs' are likely to be signed, but it seems that China will be the new 'dragon' in the room when the two leaders meet in the White House.Dr Singh arrives in Washington DC on November 22, only three days before Obama would have returned from his maiden but extensive Asia tour which begins on November 11,.
Robert O Blake, the new Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, making his debut before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday, said Secretary of State Hillary's Clinton's trip to India next month will be a tangible manifestation of the Obama Administration's commitment to take the Indo-US relationship to the next level.
Pakistani Americans, in a move to counter Indo-American groups active in lobbying in the United States, have urged the Obama administration and US lawmakers against listening to India.Accusing Indian American groups of lobbying with Washington to put pressure on Islamabad in the aftermath of the Mumbai attack, the Pakistani-American groups are telling the US that Islamabad has been a reliable ally in its war against terror.
'Clawback' provisions tied to federal bailout funds will be hotly contested. Right now only bankers who committed clear fraud are liable
The Obama Administration has cautioned Pakistan that it would be held accountable for the security in the border regions of Afghanistan and that its performance in the fight against terrorism would be linked to the financial aid to it. "President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will increase non-military aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan," the White House said in its foreign policy agenda document.
Some South Asian experts in Washington, DC argue that such an envoy should concentrate only on Afghanistan and Pakistan; another section holds that India should be included and that a discussion on Kashmir is inevitable; and a third section of opinion contends that the whole idea is misguided.
The 2020 race marks Biden's third attempt at running for US president. He first tried in 1988 but dropped out after allegations of plagiarism. He ended his second attempt in 2008 after garnering less than one per cent in the crucial Iowa caucuses.
An Asia Society task force -- working on advancing relations between India and United States -- on Friday urged the incoming Barack Obama administration to pursue deeper collaboration with New Delhi for mutual benefits on a host of global challenges raging from security and economic growth to climate change, education and tackling HIV/AIDS.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16-1 to clear the 61-year-old former first lady's nomination as the top diplomat of the country.
The White House has said the Indo-US relationship has been exceedingly well in the last eight years of Bush regime and is expected to continue during the incoming Obama Administration.
The US is quietly going ahead with its plan of a civilian surge in Afghanistan for more than tripling the numbers in less than a year, even as a final call is awaited from the White House on sending thousands of more troops to the war-torn country.
The pace of economic downturn has diminished as a result of the steps taken by the Obama administration, including those under mega stimulus package, the White House said on Tuesday.
The Obama administration has made it clear that there has been no change in the United States' policy towards Tibet even as it decides to hold talks with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama after President Barack Obama's visit to China scheduled in November.
With the US economy in recession, the Obama administration is coming under a domestic pressure to protect its economy by restricting outsourcing of manufacturing and services. Newly appointed US trade representative Ron Kirk said in Geneva on Wednesday that countries like India and China which are seeking leadership position in WTO should agree to give improved market access.
The Indian elections in no way precluded the United States from working jointly with India to try to alleviate the lot of the affected Tamil civilians caught up in the crossfire between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan troops, the outgoing point man on South Asia for the Obama Administration has said.
Holbrooke declared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, "We do not think that Pakistan is a failed State. We think it's a State under extreme test from the enemies who are also our enemies and who have the same common enemy -- the United States and Pakistan. It just isn't (a failed State). But it is a State under enormous social, political and economic pressure. And India is always a factor."
The payment of $1,90,000 to a high-profile lobbyist firm in Washington, BGR Holding, was made by RIL in the first quarter of 2009, and is the first instance of any lobbying by the Indian company with the US lawmakers.
Karl 'Rick' Inderfurth, foreign policy advisor on South Asia for United States President-elect Barack Obama's campaign, who is expected to play an influential role in the Obama administration's policy on the subcontinent, says, "It was said immediately after the 9/11 attack that 'we are all Americans'. Now, in the wake of the Mumbai tragedy, it is right for all of us to say 'we are all Indians.'
The agreement would divert China's attention and keep them busy in the Pacific theatre, probably resulting in a reduction in threat perception in our area of interest in the Indian Ocean, notes Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Hillary Clinton has decided to accept the post of Secretary of State in the incoming Obama administration, a media report said on Saturday, raising prospects of the former Democratic rivals joining hands to guide the United States foreign policy amid steep challenges at home and abroad.Clinton came to her decision after additional discussions with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy.
On whether President Bush will leave this (the agreement) up to the next President -- as far as final bureaucratic things are still on his table -- Perino said, "Well, I think that the next administration will be able to decide for itself whether or not they want to continue that relationship that we've established with India. But I would see no reason why they shouldn't."
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said he would not rule out the option of forcing out chief executives of banks which have received taxpayers' money but are not performing well.
In its first substantive remarks on India, the Obama Administration wants New Delhi to support Pakistan in rooting out terrorism arguing that it has a "big stake" in the success of the democratic government in the Islamic nation.
They'll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars, and lead infantry soldiers into combat. They'll be able to serve as Army rangers and green berets, Navy SEALS, Marine Corps infantry and Air Force para jumpers.
Indian-American actor Kal Penn has formally taken up his new assignment in the Barack Obama administration, where he will work as a bridge between the White House and the Asian communities.The 32-year-old actor took charge of his role as the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement on Monday."This is an incredibly historic time, I am deeply honoured to be here and I hope to serve my country to the best of my ability," Penn told reporters.
The buying of the aircraft was 'seen as a misuse of money at a time when the bank is reliant on public support'. The report said that Citi, which earlier insisted that it would go ahead with the purchase of the jet, backed out after officials acting for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, expressed strong opposition to the move.
The motion, made at the instance of Obama and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is expected to be considered early on Wednesday local time by the military judge hearing into the case against five men charged in 9/11 terror attacks and against Omar Khadr, a Canadian who is accused of killing an American soldier in Afghanistan in 2002
India needs to be assertive in its stance that it will not sit down for a dialogue where it is treated at par with its anarchic and erratic neighbour.