As DC turns web page on Trump, Delhi works on reopening chapter

PROMISING to “repair our alliances and engage with the world once again,” Joseph Biden, sworn in because the forty sixth President of the United States Wednesday, signalled he was turning a troubled web page on the Trump period.
For the institution in New Delhi, together with Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu — who was attending the inaugural — the duty is reduce out.
Sandhu’s predecessors in Washington, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, all are banking on their important expertise of coping with Washington DC’s Beltway politics – and its key interlocutors.
Sandhu has had two earlier stints —liable for liaison with the US Congress from 1997 to 2000 as First Secretary (Political); Deputy Chief of Mission from July 2013 to January 2017.

Officials mentioned that Sandhu’s expertise throughout the Clinton and Obama administrations will assist him navigate the brand new administration, principally staffed by Obama-Biden administration veterans.
Biden’s incoming staff is acquainted, too, to many right here: Secretary of State Antony Blinken was Biden’s aide within the US Senate 20 years in the past after which Deputy Secretary of State in Obama administration; NSA Jake Sullivan was a part of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s staff; CIA Director William J Burns was Deputy Secretary of State in Obama administration; Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman was Under Secretary of State for Political affairs beneath Obama and Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell was Assistant Secretary of State on east Asia beneath Obama.
Officials mentioned that New Delhi is taking a look at “five baskets” of engagement: Strategic, setting, power and local weather change, digital and IT, schooling and well being care.
Biden’s time period within the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had coincided with the transformation of the Indo-US relations beginning with the Jaswant Singh-Strobe Talbott talks put up 1998-Pokhran exams.

Indeed, the important thing markers of Indo-US engagement occurred throughout Biden’s chairmanship of the highly effective Senate panel: Bill Clinton’s go to and the the India-US nuclear deal.
Diplomats recall that for Biden, the “guy on the other side of the table in diplomatic negotiations is not an idiot.” This is a key high quality, an official mentioned, that New Delhi hopes to construct on particularly as each work along with an aggressive China.
Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s chief of workers, as soon as mentioned that Biden helps counter group-think, and Jay Carney, former White House press secretary, mentioned that Biden performed the function of the unhealthy man within the scenario room who at all times requested powerful questions and challenged preconceived concepts. This, officers mentioned, will assist in the discourse on Pakistan and Afghanistan.

According to Evan Osnos’s biography of Biden, he was towards intervention in Libya, and felt that the autumn of Muammar Gaddafi would result in chaos. He was additionally towards the Abbottabad raid arguing that if it failed, Obama could be a one-term President. But, on India, Biden was one of many key advocates of strengthening the Indo-US partnership, particularly in strategic areas.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “I look forward to working with him to strengthen India-US strategic partnership…The India-US partnership is based on shared values. We have a substantial and multifaceted bilateral agenda, growing economic engagement and vibrant people to people linkages. Committed to working with President Biden to take the India-US partnership to even greater heights.”
South Block is already wanting on the diplomatic calendar forward — a attainable assembly at G-7 within the UK in June offering a possibility for the 2 leaders to get collectively.
But for now, Biden’s priorities will likely be targeted on managing the raging COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed 400,000 lives within the US, an financial disaster and a deeply polarised society and politics as was witnessed throughout the siege of the US Capitol a fortnight in the past.
India will look in the direction of rising collaboration on the “health care basket”, as Biden goes for a federal masks mandate and vaccine mobilization that can dominate his first 100-day plan.
On the “climate change, environment and energy” basket, Biden’s intention to rejoin the Paris Climate accord is welcomed by New Delhi, and it’ll look in the direction of cooperation within the LNG, renewable and photo voltaic power sectors.
With about 2 lakh Indian college students within the US and the Trump administration’s progressively hardening line on visas, Delhi will look in the direction of easing of norms for these aspiring to check and work there.