Posts Tagged ‘Secretary Hilary Clinton’
President Obama’s Af-Pak Surge
President Obama has revealed his much awaited renewed Af-Pak strategy; which can now be called the Af-Pak surge. The challenges confronting President Obama were formidable. He was expected to come up a plan that would please all stakeholders nurturing opposing and conflicting demands. While the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan were expecting the President to send reinforcements, the American people were not favorably inclined to put more soldiers in harms way. Moreover, the expectations of many stakeholders are difficult to discern. For example, there is still confusion about what Afghans wants: a troop surge or withdrawal of foreign forces. Given the challenges it was obvious that President Obama’s plan would not satisfy everyone in full measure.
Nevertheless, the criticality of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan warranted that the plan be premised on non-normative considerations. Simply stated, the plan should have been based on factual and objective determination rather than evaluative prescriptions. Though the troop surge is based on General McChrystal’s report, the ensuing plan appears to have ignored some vital considerations and reflects some contradictions.
Indo-US Relations: The Partnership Rhetoric Syndrome
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s recent visit to India highlighted, more than anything else, the vision variance between the two countries. It has been proved that commitment to democracy and the rhetoric of shared vision cannot be panacea for inter-state differences. Disagreements are a part of bilateral relations but the divergence in approaches of India and the U.S. point to deeper schisms. It was a champion versus challenger duel in which the challenger is still lacking vital skills.