Larry D. Lauer

“In the century ahead, U.S. strategic interests will align more closely with India than they will with those of any other continental power in Asia.”  That is the first line of a very perceptive essay by former Undersecretary of State, Nicholas Burns, in the September-October issue of Foreign Affairs.

There was a widespread burst of enthusiasm in the U.S. when newly elected Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, signaled that he wanted to build a more ambitious partnership with the United States. And now there are reports that Russia’s Putin is making his own overtures to India about the possibility of building a pipeline and engaging in nuclear projects.

Anticipating this may be why Nicholas Burns urged the White House to respond quickly following Modi’s election. He pointed to already ongoing military ties and cooperative projects on space, science, technology and education as examples on which to build.

But Burns also acknowledged some stumbling blocks that need to be quickly overcome. These include specific trade disagreements, complications involving Pakistan, and discouraging taxes on new investors. Even educators have been encountering some surprising stumbling blocks.

For example, I traveled to India as a part of a delegation of university presidents and state legislators. We were welcomed by university administrators with open arms. There was little doubt they were interested in forming partnerships. Before we knew it we were being asked to sign letters of intent. Their primary interest was faculty exchanges. But it soon became obvious that these exchanges very likely would be lopsided. They could upgrade their teaching with US faculty. In most cases, however, their faculty would contribute little to US institutions. And there were financial barriers to establishing more comprehensive win-win institutional partnerships.

But if those barriers could be addressed I saw incredible long-term opportunities. I was there primarily as a speaker to deliver an address about why international higher education should be seen as a pure form of public diplomacy… people-to-people relationship building. I affirmed the value of strong institutional partnerships, and talked at length about the potential of those partnerships to solve the most pressing international problems… from water, energy, hunger, poverty, global warming and public health, to rebuilding institutions torn apart by revolutions.

If Mr. Modi’s interest in partnering with the U.S. is sincere and trade and education restrictions can be addressed, I believe a strong partnership between India and the United States has endless possibilities. And our shared commitment to democracies should clearly keep Mr. Putin’s self-serving nationalistic ambitions out of the game.