Limbo over envoy hits Indo-US progress
Former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Atul Keshap (who also had a stint as Chargé d'affaires of the US mission in India) and Indian-American venture capitalist Asha Jadeja Motwani were two people initially thought to be in the running for the post of US Ambassador to New Delhi. However, the Trump Administration has not yet made any moves on the matter, the people added, asking not to be named. Even Trump's political allies in the House of Representatives and the Senate remain unaware of the Administration's pick. India and Australia are key US partners that are yet to see the appointment of a new Ambassador.
During Trump's first term between 2017 and 2021, scores of key diplomatic positions were left unfilled. By mid-2018, well over a year into the Trump administration's term, 38 key Ambassadorial positions around the world were vacant. Kenneth Juster -- who served as US Ambassador to India for most of Trump's first term -- took office in November 2017, almost a year after Trump was sworn in as President.
A similar situation faces the current Trump administration.
S Paul Kapur, an academic who has been nominated to be the State Department's top official for South and Central Asia, has not yet been confirmed by the United States Senate. The National Security Council, which is based out of the White House and works closely with the President to shape US foreign policy , has also seen a major reduction in force under Trump. However, Trump's top adviser on India , Ricky Gill, remains in the NSC as Director for South and Central Asia.
'There seems to be a lack of India expertise in the Trump administration at present, which may be contributing to the tensions we're seeing between New Delhi and Washington,' said one former US official, on the condition of anonymity.
The lack of an Ambassador in New Delhi who can act as a key interlocutor between the two nations has been keenly felt, the official added.
Tensions between the two countries increased in May after US President Donald Trump claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad after a four-day military clash.
India has forcefully denied Trump's version of events. Since then, the Trump administration's growing closeness to Pakistan has concerned India.
Matters escalated over the last month as Trump placed a steep 50% tariff on India, including a 25% penalty for purchasing Russian energy. Trump also lambasted India as a 'dead economy' even as India has pointed out that even the United States maintains a robust trade relationship with Russia.
''On top of the Kashmir mediation and tariff issues, leaving the Ambassadorship in New Delhi empty for seven months sends exactly the wrong signal to one of America's most important partners. Since the Bush Administration and across party lines, India has been an increasingly central pillar for U.S. strategy in Asia, from countering China's influence to securing supply chains and deepening defense cooperation,' said Nicholas Shafer, a scholar studying US-India relations.
'While Ambassador (Eric) Garcetti took a while to get through confirmation, the rest of Biden's national security team maintained consistent and direct engagements with New Delhi that deepened trust and brought the closest it's ever been to Washington. Now, with uncertainty at the top of US foreign policymaking and without a confirmed ambassador even for nomination, Washington is handicapping itself in ways that just deepens the already profound skepticism in Delhi about American commitments and alignment with Indian interests,' Shafer added.
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