Vote bodes shift in New Delhi

Last month’s change of government in New Delhi and the appointment of a straight-talking external affairs minister could portend the beginning of tense times in U.S.-Indian relations.

Two weeks ago, a Congress party-led coalition unexpectedly came to power, toppling the right-wing Hindu party-dominated government.

In its election manifesto, the Congress party noted that “a great country like India has been reduced to having a subordinate relationship with the USA, where the USA takes India for granted.”

It blamed former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s willingness to adjust to American priorities and policies “without giving due attention to India’s own vital foreign policy and national security interests.”

Analysts say what began as pre-election posturing could translate into changes in how bilateral relations are handled.

On May 23, Manmohan Singh, India’s first non-Hindu prime minister, announced portfolios for his Cabinet. Prominent on the list is K. Natwar Singh, who was put in charge of the coveted External Affairs Ministry.

Mr. Natwar Singh’s outlook on foreign affairs is founded largely on a Cold War-era suspicion of the United States and a yearning for a multipolar world. Writing in the Indian magazine Frontline in March last year, he noted: “The world is now faced with a situation without precedents. Let me put down the brutal facts.

“1) The U.S. believes in the doctrine of ‘regime change.’

“2) The U.S. believes in pre-emptive military action without approval of the U.N. Security Council.

“3) Articles 39, 40 and 41 of the U.N. Charter are of no value.

“4) Sovereignty of nations does not matter.

“5) International law could be flouted.”

“Natwar Singh has traditionally looked at the U.S. through a nonaligned lens and has been far more critical [of the United States] than any other person,” said Ashley J. Tellis, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Mr. Tellis, a former adviser to Ambassador Robert Blackwill at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, said Mr. Singh’s appointment means “a long learning curve, both for him and for us.” (Mr. Blackwill left the embassy in New Delhi late last year and was succeeded as U.S. ambassador by David C. Mulford in January.)

But, Mr. Tellis added, “You’re going to see quite a bit of a difference between Natwar the minister-in-waiting and Natwar the minister of external affairs. The first thing he will have to confront is the fact that India has certain interests with the U.S. that cannot be abridged, no matter what his own proclivities may be.”

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