Politics, economics, regional dynamics of South Asia
An article published February 18, 2008 in the Financial Express on Howard B. Schaffer’s visit to Dhaka, and his thoughts about democracy in Bangladesh.
Former US Ambassador to Bangladesh Howard B Schaffer said in Dhaka Sunday he strongly supports the roadmap for holding free and fair election timely to return the country to democracy, reports UNB.
An article by Teresita C. Schaffer and Sabala Baskar on security measures taken by the Indian government following the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, particularly as they pertain to Pakistan.
The November 2008 attacks in Mumbai are a reminder of the potential consequences of incidents that neither the Pakistani nor the Indian government can completely control. Specifically, the Mumbai episode demonstrated how quickly a seemingly stable India-Pakistan environment can deteriorate. Besides the familiar arguments for political leadership and persistent diplomacy between India and Pakistan, one factor in reducing this vulnerability is strengthening both governments’ means of detecting, preventing, and responding to such incidents.
Originally published in the Center for Strategic & International Studies‘ South Asia Monitor on April 7, 2009. Read the entire article.
An article by Teresita C. Schaffer and Suzanne Fawzi on the relationship between India and Iran in regard to energy trade, land access, and—of the most concern to the United States—defense.
In recent months, India’s ties with Iran have come under pressure as the civil-nuclear deal falters in New Delhi. Although maintaining positive relations with Washington is a critical foreign policy objective, India’s relations with Iran are important for reasons such as energy supply, geopolitics, and a symbol of India’s ability to retain an independent foreign policy or “strategic autonomy.” Although India and Iran share energy interests and some regional goals, there continues to be a wide gap between words and deeds.
Originally published in the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ South Asia Monitor on December 20, 2007. Read the entire article.
Written by Teresita C. Schaffer and published by the Center for Strategic & International Studies in June 2009.
The U.S. has emerged as India’s most important international ally. Starting in the mid-1990s, the U.S. and India did a remarkable job of adding substance to their rather thin Cold War-era relationship. The bilateral infrastructure for a serious partnership is now largely in place. The two countries have done much less, however, to turn their shared international interests—such as peace and security in the Indian Ocean and East Asia, stability in the Persian Gulf, and the integrity of energy markets—into a common bond. Moreover, they have had a hard time working together multilaterally. Of the four big global issues the Obama administration is focusing on, financial reform offers good opportunities for India-U.S. Collaboration, but the other three—trade negotiations, climate change, and nonproliferation—expose policy gaps between the two countries.
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Indian edition published by Indian Research Press.
A chapter written by Teresita C. Schaffer in Strategic Asia 2008-09: Challenges and Choices, edited by Ashley J. Tellis, Mercy Kuo and Andrew Marble.
With a booming economy, an increasingly trade-driven foreign policy, an expanding footprint both in Asia and on the global scene, and strong relations with the great powers, India’s strategic horizon is generally positive. The U.S. is India’s most important outside friend, and the new relationship between the two countries is based on important common interests, especially in Asia and in Indian Ocean security. Yet at the same time India’s foreign policy outlook rests on a strong political commitment to “strategic autonomy”—avoiding even the appearance of undue outside, and especially U.S., influence on its policy. U.S. experience with partnerships, however, involves mainly working with junior partners. This disconnect complicates the task of developing the U.S.-India partnership.
Published by the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). Read the entire chapter.