Clinton in India: All Talk, Little Action

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's four-day visit to India was a whirlwind expedition packed with meetings with the country's top leadership and a range of industry and civil-society representatives as well as sundry public addresses. The message Clinton sought to deliver was clear: the Obama Administration wants to carry forward the momentum in bilateral relations gathered during the George W. Bush years, especially pertaining to nuclear and defense cooperation, but also on issues ranging from education and agriculture to health and women's rights. She also indicated the Administration's intention of supporting India as it readies to play a bigger role in regional and global affairs. But as a near war of words over climate change showed, there is much ground to cover between rhetoric and reality, and the fledgling "strategic partnership" is not likely to be an easy one.