New York – India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in Washington this week for the first state visit of the Obama administration, prompting policy and media circles in the U.S. and India alike to buzz with the question: “What will be the big drop-dead announcement this time?”
After all, when Prime Minister Singh was here for his last state visit in 2005, as guest of President Bush, the two leaders announced their historic civil nuclear energy deal. I remember vividly the excitement of Indian officials at the White House dinner where I was one of the guests. When I asked senior Indian officials whether enough details were worked out for the deal to pass through the two democratic systems, I was told not to worry. As we now know, it took two more years and an unprecedented effort by many in both countries for that deal to become an operational reality.
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