International - India & World

Blackwill appointed Deputy Assistant to Bush

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON AUG. 16. The White House has formally announced the appointment of the former United States Ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill, as Deputy Assistant to the President, George W. Bush, and Coordinator for Strategic Planning to the National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice.

A statement issued by the press secretary said that Dr. Rice announced the appointment of Mr. Blackwill, who would "work with Government-wide policy planning operations to help develop and coordinate the mid and long term direction of the American foreign policy".

Prior to his diplomatic posting in New Delhi, Mr. Blackwill was for 14 years at Harvard including as Belfer Lecturer in International Security at the University's John F Kennedy School of Government. His tenure in Government included being the Special Assistant and Senior Director for European and Soviet Affairs on the staff of the National Security Council between 1989 and 1990.

The impression is that Mr. Blackwill would be focussed on Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran at a time when the Republican administration is facing considerable pressure domestically and internationally on the goings on in that part of the world.

With the political campaigning for the presidential election of November 2004 gaining momentum, he could play a major role in formulating and presenting the Bush campaign's foreign policy and the national security agenda.

It may be recalled that Mr. Blackwill belonged to a small group of foreign policy advisers — known as the Vulcans — to George W. Bush when he was running for the Presidency in 2000.

There is a feeling that Mr. Blackwill's presence at the White House, though not formally dealing with issues of direct interest and concern of South Asia, would be beneficial to New Delhi in many ways.

For instance, he is known to have tough and sharp views on terrorism, especially pertaining to the subcontinent.

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