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India hopes Obama’s return will deepen ties with US
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After despatching Romney, Obama faces Iran, Syria
India Inc upbeat, but outsourcing still a concern
Defence ties set to grow
US Sikhs, SGPC pleased with result
Ami Bera wins ‘close contest’
Obama’s Kenyan family celebrates
Snippets Congratulations pour in..
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India hopes Obama’s return will deepen ties with US
New Delhi, November 7 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promptly sent a congratulatory message to the American leader, saying the victory had given him a historic opportunity to work for the welfare of the American people as also for global peace and progress at “an admittedly difficult juncture”. Notwithstanding the all-around euphoria in India over the re-election of the first African-American President, India and the US will have to deal with a plethora of issues, including some contentious ones, to deepen and widen the engagement between the world’s largest democracy and the oldest democracy. Neither Obama nor his rival Mitt Romney clearly spelt out their views on India at length during their acrimonious presidential campaign. This was partly because there is an increasing consensus in the US that having close relations with India is vital, given the fact that it is a democracy, a huge export market and a key partner in Asia which has the potential to act as a bulwark against China. Preoccupied as it was with the election process during the past year, the US administration is now expected to again raise with New Delhi its demand for changes in India’s civil nuclear liability law to bring it in conformity with, what Washington says, international norms. India will have to steadfastly protect its own interests and see how the two countries could arrive at a common understanding to take the nuclear accord forward. As far as South Asia is concerned, Obama will certainly nudge India to play a greater role, particularly in the field of security, in Afghanistan so that the withdrawal of Western troops from the war-torn nation by 2014 could be a smooth affair. The differences between India and the US over Iran are very well known. It is to be seen whether the Obama administration will bring in more pressure on New Delhi to reduce its economic engagement with Iran. Pakistan has reasons to react the way it has done to Obama’s re-election. If any country faced intense heat from the American President during his first term, it was Pakistan. Not only did Obama stay out of the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir, he ordered a US commando raid deep inside Pakistan (Abbottabad) to kill Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in May last year without even informing Islamabad. Such is his distrust of Pakistan that during his foreign policy debate against Romney, he went to the extent of saying that bin Laden would have escaped if the US had sought Islamabad’s permission to go after him. India is quite sure that President Obama would maintain unrelenting pressure on Pakistan to deal with international terrorism emanating from its soil. On the economic front, one of the main concerns for India during Obama’s first term was the challenges that Indian companies had to face in securing visas for Indian professionals. At one point, India had even threatened to move the WTO over American trade practices. Hopefully, the matter will be resolved amicably. New Delhi believes Obama’s rhetoric over outsourcing during the election campaign was meant more to pacify the domestic electorate. The US has welcomed India’s decision to allow FDI in retail but the Obama administration will continue to press New Delhi to dismantle other trade and investment barriers.
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After despatching Romney, Obama faces Iran, Syria
Washington, November 7 Nor is it obvious whether Obama will be able to sustain his refusal so far to try to tip the scales in Syria’s civil war by allowing US arms to flow to the rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. If events permit, US foreign policy analysts said Obama will continue his “pivot” to Asia, seeking to reorient US policy to take advantage of the projected growth in such nations as China and India and gradually withdraw from the Middle East. However, both Iran, which the United States and its allies suspect of developing nuclear weapons, and Syria, where a car bomb killed and wounded dozens in the capital, Damascus, on Tuesday, will demand attention. Martin Indyk, vice-president of foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution think tank, said 2013 could be a decisive year on Iran and suggested Obama’s wider commitment to nonproliferation could produce a “focused and assertive” policy. “It’s going to be very high on the agenda,” Indyk said. “Preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons is a critical imperative for bolstering the nonproliferation regime.” Talks between the major powers and Iran on a diplomatic solution are expected to resume, possibly as early as this month, but it is by no means clear whether one can be fashioned under which Iran might rein in its program. The US and Israel, which regards a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence, have also hinted at the possibility of military strikes against Iran. James Dobbins, director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center, said he thought Obama might be forced by events to intervene to some degree in Syria, possibly by supplying arms, but was unlikely to strike Iran. “I don’t think it’s viable to stand aside if Syria gets worse and unless the Iranians are stupid enough to give us a better rationale for an unprovoked attack, I don’t think the administration would do it,” Dobbins said. Analysts said that the overarching challenge for Obama will be to try to shape the international environment to the United States’ advantage at a time when the country is deeply in debt, other powers are rising and it faces transnational threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and global warming. — Reuters |
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India Inc upbeat, but outsourcing still a concern
New Delhi, November 7
With elections out of the way and status quo maintained, India Inc is betting on increased focus on reviving growth in the US which will also lift its own fortunes and also spur growth across the world. Being one of India’s largest trading partners, the US accounts for more than 13 per cent of total Indian exports and 60 per cent of IT exports. The recent reforms initiated by the UPA government are expected to enhance the Indo-US economic partnership. MD and CEO of global HR services company Randstad India E Balaji says, “Obama’s victory will ensure continuity in the growing India-US relationship. Recent reforms like FDI in retail, aviation and pension schemes will strengthen this relationship further, as major American companies will increase investments in India. We will have to wait and observe the impact on the IT industry in the coming months.” FICCI president RV Kanoria said he expected the new administration to set the US economy firmly on the path of revival and robust growth. This would be of great significance for the world economy and Indian exporters should be looking at a sustained rise in demand in the US. India’s exports to the US grew from $17.24 billion to $19.61 billion, showing a growth of 15 per cent during April-September, 2012, over the corresponding period last year. The share of the US in total exports went up to 13.88 per cent and it has surpassed the UAE as the prime destination of India’s exports, according to Rafeeque Ahmed, president, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). However, amidst all the bullish talk is the thorny issue of curbing outsourcing which Obama made a huge election issue and has talked of cutting incentives for US corporations shipping jobs overseas. How the issue plays out remains to be seen given that outsourcing increases efficiency. Sensing this, Indian IT companies have steadily been increasing hiring in the US so that they can also talk of job creation. Says N Chandrasekaran, CEO & MD, TCS, “Technology will play a strong role in driving the next phase of growth and Indian IT companies will have an opportunity to play a significant role to partner with US companies to achieve this. This will lead to further job creation in the US and other parts of the world.” |
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Defence ties set to grow
New Delhi, November 7 In his first term in 2009, Obama had opened the gates for US companies to enter the multi-billion dollar Indian defence market that was essentially dominated by the Russians and Israelis. As a result, India placed a huge order for US-produced defence equipment worth $9 billion - approximately Rs 47,000
crore. Obama’s second term promises even more deeper ties with India. It was illustrated by US Defence Secretary Leon E Panetta visit to India in June when he listed out several long term partnerships in the defence sector. In the last four years, New Delhi has ordered medium lift transport planes (C-130-J), heavy lift planes (C-17
Globemaster) and long-range maritime reconnaissance planes (Boeing P8-I). The ties took a significant upswing last month when India gave nod to the purchase of Boeing ‘Apache’ attack chopper. This was practically the first foray of India to buy a strike platform from the US since the early 1960s when Delhi tilted towards the erstwhile USSR in the cold war era. Incidentally, the Boeing-produced chopper was selected following a trial which had the Russian ‘Kamov’ as the only other competitor. Dr Sanjeev
Srivastava, a researcher at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, says: “India has done the right thing in selecting equipment which meets its requirements.” “US planes were rejected in the fighter jet deal. It means India is going as per its needs,” said
Srivastava. The second term of Obama comes in the backdrop of the US declaring India as the ‘lynchpin’ of its new military strategy focused on Asia. Dr Rajeswari Pillai
Rajagopalan, senior fellow at the Observor Research Foundation, says, “I see more things happening in Obama’s second term.” |
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US Sikhs, SGPC pleased with result
Amritsar, November 7 Talking to The Tribune, US-based Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) chairman Dr Rajwant Singh said, “We are pleased with the results. This is especially great for the Sikhs because Obama has demonstrated in the last four years that he has deep respect for the Sikh faith. “He has strong commitment to protect the civil rights of the Sikhs in the US and has gone an extra mile to stand by the community in the aftermath of the Wisconsin gurdwara shootout.” Obama was the first US President to host the celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary at the White House. He had also lowered the US flags, an unprecedented step, to convey the message of solidarity and sympathy of the entire nation for the Wisconsin Sikh victims, he added. The American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) said that Obama is the “one who understands the concerns of the Sikhs and minorities in the US”. “We are extremely happy over Obama’s win. He is friend of the Sikhs,” said AGPC president JS Hothi and coordinator Dr Pritpal Singh in a joint statement issued here today. The US Sikh leaders said that Obama was always receptive to the Sikhs’ demands and understood their concerns. Back home, the SGPC greeted President Obama on his victory. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said Obama understood the problems being faced by the Sikh community in the US and has also made sincere efforts to address them. |
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Ami Bera wins ‘close contest’
Washington, November 7 Bera (45) had a lead of 184 votes against his Republican rival and incumbent Dan Lungren when votes were counted for the Seventh Congressional District in California. But the Secretary of State, California, put the results in the category of "close contest", in which there is less than a two per cent difference between the first and second place for candidates or between yes and no votes. According to the Office of the Secretary of State, California, Bera had received 50.1 per cent of the total votes counted, while Lungren had received 49.9 per cent of the votes. Bera received 88,406 votes, while Lungren got 88,222 votes. So far, only two Indian-Americans have been elected to the US House of Representatives. Dalip Singh Saund, was the first Indian-American elected to the US Congress in 1950s, while Bobby Jindal was a House member from 2005 to 2008 before being elected as the Governor of Louisiana. Bera, whose parents migrated to the US some 50 years ago, was endorsed by the charismatic Bill Clinton, the former US President, last month and campaigned in his favour twice. Bera had outraced his opponent in fund raising. In the neighbouring Ninth Congressional District of California, "young gun" Republican Ricky Gill lost by more than 10,000 votes to incumbent Democrat Jerry McNerney. — PTI
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Obama’s Kenyan family celebrates
Kogelo, November 7 Crowds stayed up throughout the night in Kogelo, a small village in western Kenya nestled in the hills about 60 km from the blue waters of Lake Victoria, until the results showed Obama had won. “The reason why he has won is because God has given it to him,” said Sarah Obama, 90 this year and the third wife of the paternal grandfather of the President, who has said he regards her as a grandmother. Weary from an all-night vigil but happy at the win, people cheered to welcome her, known popularly as “Mama Sarah”, and in support of the victory. For Obama’s grandmother, the re-election was more important than his win four years ago. “He came back a second time, and he won,” she said. But she also sought to quell the disappointment of many Kenyans who had hoped for a visit from the president during his first term. “We cannot be bitter,” said Mama Sarah. — AFP |
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Romney’s ‘own’ states ditch him
Barack Obama’s tweet proclaiming ‘four more years’ has become the most popular post on the micro blogging platform ever. “This happened because of you. Thank you,” he tweeted to his 22 million followers . “Four more years,” he added straight afterwards, posting a photo of himself hugging First Lady Michelle Obama. This made it the most popular tweet ever, topping a message from singer
Justin Bieber.
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Having defeated Republican Mitt Romney at home, Barack Obama has no shortage of adversaries to grapple with abroad, including the governments of Iran, Syria and possibly China.
The Democratic president’s re-election ensures continuity in US foreign policy but leaves open questions such as whether diplomacy can constrain Iran’s nuclear programme or whether Israel or the United States might resort to air strikes.
“Secondly he has got the knowledge to love all people, he doesn’t have the knowledge of division, that is why he has won,” she added, speaking in the Luo language to reporters on the lawn outside the family home.
Mitt Romney failed to win both the state of his birth,
Michigan, and the state where he lives and served as governor, Massachusetts. US President Barack Obama defeated Romney in both Michigan and Massachusetts, which had 16 and 11 Electoral College votes, respectively. Under the Electoral College system, each state is worth a certain number of electoral votes based on population. Obama, a Democrat, secured 303 electoral votes against 206 of Romney in a college of 535 votes plus three of
District of Columbia. A candidate has to get at least 270 votes to become the US President.
Obama’s ‘four more years’ post most popular tweet ever