STIFFING THE AN GLOSPHERE AND SUCKING UP TO THE AXIS OF EVIL:

India: America's indispensable ally: Washington will need New Delhi's cooperation on a host of critical issues, so the Obama administration must not risk neglecting the relationship. (Xenia Dormandy, March 11, 2009, CS Monitor)

At a time when so much of the broader Middle East and South Asia is in disarray, it may be tempting to put India – an ally and friend of the United States – on the back burner. But it is precisely because India is a friend and ally, and because of the severity of regional and global problems, that the US needs to nurture this relationship. If President Obama is to achieve many of his ambitious foreign-policy objectives, he will need to forge an even stronger relationship with India – and that will take work.

As things stand, however, Washington's bandwidth for India seems to be overwhelmed by concerns about its neighbors to the west, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He's walking and you expect him to chew gum?

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 10, 2009 1:27 PM