Business ties a key component of relations, says study.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a leading think-tank based in Washington, DC, has released a study which concludes that stronger ties between the US and India are critical for both countries to take advantage of the many opportunities for social and economic growth that they afford each other.
The study, entitled “US-India Homeland Security Cooperation: Building a Lasting Partnership via Transportation Sector Security,” was released on Monday. In the report, the CSIS highlights “considerable opportunities for government-to-government and business-to-business cooperation, as well as for unique public-private partnership opportunities and joint ventures.”
“Enhanced US- India cooperation could result in significant progress toward a more secure and prosperous India, allowing the continued development of the rail, aviation, and maritime sectors,” it goes on to say. “Perhaps more importantly, cooperation on transportation security could serve as an engagement framework for governments, agencies, and even private sector partners.”
The study shies away from naming more abstract forms of cooperation, such as political ties, and instead focuses primarily on things like infrastructure, transportation, and other tactile industries as ways to improve and strength US-Indian relations.
Its release comes on the heels of Vice-President Joe Biden’s trip to India, the first by a US Vice-President in nearly 30 years.
During the trip, Biden repeatedly called on India to develop its economic ties with the US in order to strengthen the partnership between the two powerhouse democracies, which has flagged in recent years due largely to India’s insistence on cracking down on foreign companies attempting to do business there.
The CSIS study seems to confirm the general consensus that a growing US-Indian partnership is mutually beneficial and must be allowed to blossom.
The full study can be found here, at the CSIS website.