Gen. Powell to be briefed on S. Asia

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JAN. 4. The Secretary of State-designate, Gen. Colin Powell, is to be briefed on South Asia today by senior officials of the Bureau of the State Department. This is a routine briefing done by the various bureaus and Gen. Powell has already been through a few sessions in the last several days with officials dealing with the Near East, Africa and Europe.

The prime focus of today's briefing on South Asia will be on what the Clinton administration has achieved as also on the areas of future thrusts and outstanding issues that would have to be dealt with by the Bush administration regionally and on an individual basis. It will be more of a ``listening'' session for the incoming Secretary of State-designate.

Apart from talking about the broad generalities of American foreign policy under a Bush administration, the specifics as it pertains to the various regions will be unfolding in the next several weeks as the new administration gets on with the task of nominating the second tiers of officials, as for instance the several Assistant Secretaries of State. It is only after this stage that the new administration will set its sights on the appointment of Ambassadors, including to India.

It is time-consuming and a demanding process, given the fashion in which the confirmation procedure works in the Senate. The nomination of Gen. Powell is expected to pass the Senate easily, but much of what happens thereafter will depend on the kind of cooperation the Senate Democrats and Republicans are willing to abide by. With a 50-50 tie in the Senate, the Democrats there are pressing for a more equitable power-sharing arrangement, especially as it pertains to committee chairs and agenda setting.

The general impression has been that in spite of philosophical and ideological differences between the outgoing administration and the incoming one, there is unlikely to be any abrupt departures in the U.S. foreign policy. It is being pointed out that though Mr. George W. Bush has made some pointed and critical remarks about China, it is unlikely that the new administration will embark on any policy that will undermine the accomplishments of the last eight years.

In the case of India, continuity is expected with the focus of the bilateral dialogue being not only on issues of peace and stability, but also on technology, trade, information technology, democracy and the more general issues of the 21st century. One thinking is that the Republican administration's policy towards South Asia and India will be multi-faceted and systematic and with an emphasis on the totality.

In terms of substance and style, there are any number of things that would have to be watched as to how the Bush administration deals with South Asia, especially India. One of the things is the Government-to-Government dialogue and in the kind of depth and width that is being assigned to this. Also, the fashion in which both Washington and New Delhi are going to deal with contentious issues. The impression is that the Bush administration will not be inclined to sweep contentious issues under the carpet, but at the same time pursue these through quiet discussions.

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Section  : International
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