Hillary, where art thou?

Current Madam Secretary and former First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton is on her first overseas tour as America's top diplomat. Having visited Jakarta and Tokyo, she is now on her way to Beijing. There is one Asian capital though that is conspicuously missing from her schedule, New Delhi. The reasons for not making time for this visit are yet unclear and the move is being widely criticized.

New Delhi's absence from Hillary Clinton's itinerary is slowly giving rise to concerns that the Obama administration does not have India high up on its list of foreign policy priorities. These fears would not be unfounded. After the overtures of the Bush administration and the goodwill it managed to garner in India, Obama should make all efforts to take this relationship forward, regardless of Democrats who don't favor the Nuclear Deal between the two countries. It would only be the obvious next step in Indo-American relations.

America and India have grown ever closer with similar foundational ideologies and political and strategic values. As I have written here earlier as well, there are almost no pitfalls to a deeper strategic alliance between the two countries. They have only to gain by allying further. India is sure to be one of America's most important allies in the years to come and Obama should have made a better start to his relationship with India.

Sending an envoy (Holbrooke) alone does not cut it, to a country Obama assured was going to be an important ally of America's during his term. Holbrooke was appointed primarily for the Afghanistan and Pakistan problem and the Kashmir issue (on which India has time and again resented third party intervention) was lumped in with his more important duties. He is not the man to take Indo-American relations forward in a broad and meaningful manner.

Hillary Clinton is well known in India from her time as First Lady of the US and is said to be quite fond of the country. Having her visit as a follow up to Holbrooke's visit would have given the Indian government as well as the public opinion here just the indications it was looking for for a new, dynamic relationship between the two countries. She would have assured America's sustained cooperation on counterterrorism efforts as well as other strategic, cultural and commercial aspects of the relationship. To an easily skeptical Indian public, this would have been an excellent way to get the ball rolling.

India has been for years looking for greater cooperation from the US on counterterrorism efforts. Mere sympathy will not do any more. It does not want to be lectured on the Kashmir problem any more either. It wants the US to keep its borders open to its citizens looking for work. America by all indications will become the largest exporter of arms to India in the next few years. In all other investment indicators as well, the US is sure to lead.

All of this cannot be achieved at a low level of talks any more. To a country aspiring to be on par with China, America cannot get by placing India alongside Pakistan anymore. The Republicans understood this. India should be on Obama's top 5 foreign policy priorities. The Democrats' typical foreign policy towards India is one of distrust and patronizing. This is incongruous in today's age. The earlier Obama understands this the better. Hillary should have visited New Delhi. It would have been a significant follow up to the nuclear deal between the two countries. She's missed her chance and the seeds of concern have been sown. Let us hope this is righted as soon as possible. It is in both countries' interests.