Obama’s Genius Shines Through

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “Obama Courts Emergent India as Deeper Ally,” shows skillful handling of our relationship with that country by the President by using a key symbolic gesture, the proposal of India for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The proposal, made in a speech to the Indian parliament, elevated India to a status of an equal with the United States, a status President Obama emphasized when he said, “India is not simply emerging, India has emerged.”

We have much in common with India as one of the two largest democracies while an authoritarian China and an Islamic Pakistan with its terrorist havens confound us in many ways.

Meanwhile, India backed up the U.S. government by endorsing the action by the Fed to stimulate the American economy by pumping in $600 billion, a move denounced by China, Brazil and Germany. This will provide much needed support during an upcoming meeting of the Group of 20 nations in South Korea.

Mr. Obama’s handling of the Indian media was also skillful, leading to glowing accounts of his visit, and a celebrity patina for the first couple. The President also offered other economic concessions to India including the removal of export controls on certain “sensitive” technologies.