As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh heads for Washington, where does India fit into the Obama administration’s policy?
A1: India has become a major bilateral partner. It is the principal power in the Indian Ocean, increasingly a player in Asia-wide political and economic deliberations, with a lively security relationship with the United States. The United States had $61 billion in bilateral goods trade with India in 2007, the most recent available year. Additionally, India exported approximately $19 billion in software and related services to the United States in 2007, making the United States India’s top trading partner and India a significant trading partner for the United States. Q2: What about India’s long-standing problems with Pakistan? Will the United States push an India-Pakistan peace initiative? A2: For Pakistan, India is the primary security threat; for India, the greatest strategic challenge comes from China, but Pakistan and the militants operating from its territory threaten India’s regional and domestic security. Do not expect a U.S. peace initiative, however: the accent will continue to
