The first visit of Hillary Clinton as the US secretary of state to India, within the first six months of the Obama administration, is being considered significant for several reasons. First, it is the clearest indication that the new US administration is committed to building and expanding on the relationship established by the previous administrations, especially the Bush administration. Second, given Clinton’s own political gravitas in the US—her presidential run and her reputation as an avid supporter and friend of India (evident in her role as co-chair of the India caucus and her charm offensive in Mumbai)—this messenger is as important as the message she brings. Third, even her itinerary, which deliberately (if somewhat inconveniently and artificially) leaves out Pakistan, is perhaps reflective of the efforts being made by the US to de-hyphenate the relationship and focus on India alone. Clearly, this administration is determined to “reset” US India relations at a higher plane.
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Avid supporter: US national security adviser Jim Jones. Clinton’s India visit is a clear indication that the new US administration is committed to expanding the relationship established by the Bush administration. Andrew Councill / Bloomberg
Although the Clinton visit is certainly significant, it is important to bear in mind that she is not the only person driving the dramatic policy shift; she is merely trying to coordinate it. In fact, she is not the first senior member of the Obama administration to visit India. Indeed, she is also not the second, but only the third. Leon Panetta made history of sorts when he became the first Central Intelligence Agency chief to inaugurate his foreign travel with a visit to India soon after his confirmation in March. Similarly, national security adviser general (retd) Jim Jones also travelled to India after visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan in June and met not only national security adviser M.K. Narayanan, but also Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister A.K. Antony. In fact, it was Jones who delivered the formal invitation to Singh to visit Washington DC in October. Jones also discussed Iran, Afghanistan-Pakistan (Af-Pak) and, importantly, military-to-military cooperation.
The Jones visit, which went practically unnoticed in India, is particularly crucial for at least a couple of reasons: Jones, who has never been described as a “Democrat” and could easily have been in a McCain administration, is considered to be bipartisan, commanding the respect of both parties as well as the US military. Moreover, he interacts with US President Barack Obama on an almost daily basis and his advice carries a lot of weight, while other cabinet members (including Clinton) meet the President more infrequently. The Clinton trip is likely to build on these earlier and equally important visits.