The Indian, US Main Course, With A Side Order Of Sri Lanka

By Mano Ratwatte -January 31, 2015 

Mano Ratwatte

I am not an expert nor professionally trained to a foreign policy analyst. What I love to do is follow international affairs. I started to do this as a child growing up in Sri Lanka where we had access to printed media from all corners of the world. There was no TV back then. Hence what I share here are not views of a self proclaimed expert of any sort, but my interpretations of what I have seen and also experienced. Because of the long winded nature of this opinion column I would split it into two parts.

Part I

US – India

Everyone is talking about the hug Obama gave Modi. Body language is important in global relations. Remember how Angela Merkel cringed in disgust when George W Bush gave her a shoulder rub at the G8? International political watchers give a lot of credence (more than to Astrology) to body language when powerful leaders meet. It is an open secret that the Obama regime and Netanyahu’s rightwing Israeli regime do not have any body language and warmth when they meet. Theirs is one of irritability and “we are saddled with each other”. Modi’s hug was followed shortly with a joint communiqué on a “strategic vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region”.

This importance was symbolized when for the first time in modern Indian history, a US President attended their Republic day parade where India (ironically there are 600 million people without toilet facilities, a massively sub-literate, caste ridden unemancipated population and abysmal poverty in this nation with nuclear weapons) displayed its first-world military prowess even prompting a silly “thumbs up” by President Obama.

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