Why U.S. needs to rethink Modi stance
By Fareed Zakaria
Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia has been widely praised. But many critics wish that he would infuse the policy with greater substance and energy. In fact, the administration has the opportunity to fill in one of the great missing pieces of that policy — a strategic relationship with the continent’s second most populous country, India — once a new government emerges in New Delhi. But both countries will have to make some major changes.
The immediate obstacle for the United States is that the man set to become India’s next prime minister, Narendra Modi, was placed on a blacklist of sorts by the George W. Bush administration, was denied a visa to enter the United States and has been shunned by U.S. officials for a decade. This ostracism should stop. This manner of singling out Modi has been selective, arbitrary and excessive.
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I'm going to e-mail John McCain's office and thank him for giving us Sarah Palin.
The GOP Prayer/Mantra/Solution: Dear God...With your loving kindness, help us to turn all the Old, Sick, Poor, Non-white, Non-christian, Female, and Gay people into slaves. Then, with your guidance and compassion, we will whip them until they are Young, Healthy, Rich, White, Christian, Male, and Straight. Or until they are dead. God...Grant us the knowledge to then turn them into Soylent Green to feed the military during the next "unfunded/off-the-books" war. God...Give us the strength during our speeches to repeatedly yell........TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH!!!..........and........GET RID OF SS AND MEDICARE!!!
In your name we prey (purposely misspelled, or is it?)........Amen
Agreed! All arbitrary decisions made by George W. Bush need to be nullified immediately! This country has suffered enough because of GWB and companies egotrippinmaniac ways!
Indeed, "Obama's pivot to Asia" would be strengthened by a closer "strategic relationship" with India. He will have to hurry, before Putin and Xi Jinping knock on Modi's door.
The prime minister-elect became an international pariah after the sectarian violence in his home-state Gujarat in 2002, which saw a legion of Muslims killed in the riots. Many Western governments broke off contact with Modi's government. The US denied him visas and Britain cut off all ties with him. A few years later, the controversial politician had been brought in from the cold and reintegrated into the political mainstream.
Yet the US continued to ban him from entering the country. As it became clear that he would run as Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate for PM in the 2014 elections, and that he was widely expected to win, the British high commissioner in India met Modi in October 2012 and invited him to London to address members of parliament in the House of Commons. Tory and Labour MPs defended their invitation, saying Modi's voice needed to be heard.
Nancy Powell, who will be retiring as US ambassador to India met Modi in Gujarat last February. Her swansong was part of an outreach to the chief minister and senior leaders of India's major parties ahead of the national elections. She aimed to build bridges with Modi and end the decade-long US boycott against him. Her focus was on improving the US-India relationship, regional security issues, as well as American trade and investment in India. Although it wasn't dismissed as too little too late, the Obama can never be sure whether Modi still bears a grudge against the US.
I wouldnt blame him if he said thanks but no thanks to any invites now, would you @ j von? Seriously!
I hope he remembers his friends and his enemies, I remember clearly Islamic groups bullying universities to cancel lectures and talks of mr Modi and the universities caving to their demands.Now that he is India's prime minister suddenly all these people who shunned him want to be his friend.Worthless, they shoukd go hug the HAMAS-CAIR people instead.
Hamas or CAIR people under their watch no innocent Christians were massacred, Under Modi this happened cops turned a blind eye as Hindu Mob attacked Muslim neighborhoods, unlike US you can't defend your self in India as there are no gun rights, you depend on state for security.
Did you know how Hindu-Muslim riots were rampant in Gujarat before the incidents when "cops turned blind eye"???? I have lived in such an era and have even suffered the loss of many friends before and during those unfortunate incidents. The bright side- Not a single riot after 2002!!! ever!!! I love Modi!!!
We should not forget history when millions of hindus were killed by muslim armies and all the historical hindu temples were destroyed in north India. Mosques stand in these places on top of the ruins of temples. Now India is Hindustan.
America is the root of all terror. America has invaded sixty countries since world war 2.
In 1953 America overthrow Iran's democratic government Mohammad Mosaddegh and installed a brutal dictator Shah. America helped Shah of Iran to establish secret police and killed thousands of Iranian people.
During Iran-Iraq war evil America supported Suddam Hossain and killed millions of Iranian people. In 1989, America, is the only country ever, shot down Iran's civilian air plane, killing 290 people.
In 2003,America invaded Iraq and killed 1,000,000+ innocent Iraqi people and 4,000,000+ Iraqi people were displaced.
Now America is a failed state with huge debt. Its debt will be 22 trillion by 2015.