diaspora
Money in Politics: Indians in USA and check book diplomacy
There is a flip side to lobbying, as it could degenerate into check-book diplomacy or Indian community members being seen as agents of the government at home. The community sometimes risked being manipulated for political ends. The increasing numbers in the Caucus was seen in some quarters as a profitable business for the legislators because […]
Criticism of Indian lobbying in USA
Media reports said that around 1997-98, the Caucus “was content to just bandy its growing numbers and send out press releases about what it was doing to promote US-India relations, but hardly doing anything substantive or tangible with regard to the growth of US-India relations, and more importantly to help address the Indian-American community’s issues […]
Pakistan Lobby in USA
During tensions in the region stemming from the nuclear tests and the Kargil war that followed, US politicians were deluded with correspondence from Indian Americans, a good percentage from the financially influential corners of the Silicon Valley. Indian Americans did all they could to convince the US administration of the rationale behind India’s going nuclear […]
Indian Americans in India-Pakistan relations
The period from 1998 has been one of upheavals in the regional political situation in South Asia. The tit-for-tat nuclear tests were followed the Lahore peace initiative by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. But the Kargil incursion and the military coup that followed in Pakistan dashed the hopes of […]
India and USA: From estrangement to engagement
The relative eagerness of US legislators in promoting the cause of Indian Americans stems partly from the fact that India and US had converging economic, political and security interests by the first decade of 21st century. In recent years, American companies explored India as a great market for their products and services. They saw great […]
Indian Americans in India-USA Relations
In the years following the formation of the India Caucus, Indo-US relations entered the period now often referred to as time of “transformation” and “engagement” as opposed to the early period of “estrangement”. Indian Americans were actively involved in realising the potential of better ties between the world’s largest democracy and its oldest, converging their […]
US Congressmen defend India
The greatest contribution of the India Caucus was in activities other than pushing legislations. The members of the caucus were active in making remarks in the House floor to draw attention to issues of interest to India. They include events such as the military coup in Pakistan, the nuclear tests, cross-border terrorism and democracy. In […]
India Caucus: Mission and Growth
The India Caucus had the dual mission of being an advocate for the concerns and needs of the Indian-American community and to promote better Indo-US ties. The ‘Statement of Purpose’ of India Caucus said it would make its presence known by regular and frequent letters to members of Congress, sponsoring occasional lectures and events featuring experts on […]
Formation of the India Caucus in US Congress
In the complex foreign policy making system of the US, it is important to influence the legislature. With this aim, Indian community lobbied hard to create a caucus of American lawmakers who would argue the case for better relations with India. As a result, the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans was formed in […]
Indian Americans fight USA’s ‘Pakistan Tilt’
By around 1980s, both Indian and Pakistani Embassies in the US started actively hiring professional lobbyists to put pressure on foreign policy related issues. One such firm, Neil and Co. was instrumental in the early 1980s in restoring US aid to Pakistan, despite its nuclear programme. The perceived sense of such a ‘Pakistan-tilt’ of US […]
South Asian America 