- “The strongest lobbies promoting foreign interests are driven by cohesive ethnic population groups in the United States, such as Armenia, China, Greece, India, Israel, Taiwan, Ukraine, and, historically, Ireland.” - John Newhouse, Foreign Policy
- Oh, wait says The Indian National Interest: “But there are some problems with these assessments, as they rest on two rather shaky assumptions. The first is one of convergent objectives, which, in fairness, Kirk recognises. “[D]espite obvious overlapping interests” he writes, Indian-Americans “are generally quite independent from official Indian influence, and the community’s perspective can differ significantly from New Delhi’s official line.” ” The knock-down drag-out fights we used to have at Sepia Mutiny (at one time a fairly good proxy for arguments amongst the Indian, sorry South Asian, American foreign policy nerd) ought to dispel any notion that there is some unified entity taking marching orders from New Delhi. Because you know what? However reasonable the Foreign Policy article may be, someone is sure to make that argument. *And by someone, I mean the adjunct or prof that’s teaching your kid, America. Feel good about the second mortgage you’ve taken out for your kid’s fancy school?
- Secretary Gates visits India. Inkspot’s Gulliver talks about that (and, well, China really) here. Also this (via Small Wars Journal).
- That’s all I’ve got for the moment dear blog friends. Between my marching orders from the RNC, the Pharma-Medicine lobby and New Delhi, I’m kind of really busy.
(Bonus. We’ve now co-opted CNAS: “The Center for a New American Security is pleased to announce the launch of a major CNAS initiative designed to help chart the course for the future of the U.S.-India relationship. The project – which will be co-chaired by CNAS Board of Directors members Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State, and Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs – will explore critical issues in the U.S.-India strategic relationship, including security, economics, energy and climate change, democracy and human rights.” Some of us are hard workers.)
Update: * Hey, don’t mind my making fun. I grew up in a college town – as a faculty brat - and making fun of academia is as natural as breathing to some of us… .
And: “ Following consciously in AIPAC’s footsteps, the India lobby is getting results in Washington — and having a profound impact on U.S. policy, with important consequences for the future of Asia and the world.” – Washington Post. Look, it’s fine to describe a genuine political phenomenon but you know a certain type will get completely carried away and take it too far. Conspiracy theories can be very comforting, I suppose.
