This week IU welcomes two internationally known foreign policy experts as part of the Patten Lecture series. \nStrobe Talbott, president of The Brookings Institution and a former U.S. deputy secretary of state, and Jaswant Singh, former Indian foreign minister, will both speak about “India, America, and the World” tonight at 7:30 p.m. in \nRawles Hall. \nOn Wednesday, Talbott spoke about “Repairs Ahead: American Foreign Policy in the Post-Bush Era” in a lecture also held in Rawles Hall. \nIn addition, on Thursday the India Studies program hosted a reception for the launch of Singh’s new book, “In Service of Emergent India: A Call to Honor”, which the IU \npress published. \nTalbott and Singh discussed their respective areas of expertise, American foreign policy and India-U.S. \ndiplomatic relations. \nTalbott says U.S. needs to focus on nuclear proliferation, climate change\nTalbott focused on the war in Iraq, the Bush Administration and what he called two main threats to humankind – nuclear proliferation and \nclimate change. \nCurrently, the Iraq war is the most discussed issue in Washington and among the populace, Talbott said. But he said people should also be aware of other important issues.\n“It is very important that we aren’t so preoccupied with the war in Iraq that we neglect other issues that are not of comparable importance but greater importance,” Talbott said.\nTalbott said President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have been more diplomatic and since Bush’s reelection in 2004 have reached out to the European nations and European Union. \n“He (Bush) rediscovered the value and virtues of diplomacy in the Middle East, although without any breakthroughs, but also in the Korean peninsula,” Talbott said. “Although there hasn’t been a final breakthrough there, but there has been an astounding progress in our efforts to see if we can coax or induce North Korea back over the line so that it is no longer a nuclear state.”\nTalbott also cautioned against the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty falling apart. \n“Not only would we be concerned about whether Iran would get a nuclear weapon, but we would have friends of the United States like Turkey and Japan reconsidering their options. … Also, sooner rather than later you would see the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt (seeking nuclear weapons) just to get started,” Talbott said. “You could also see former Soviet states reconsidering their options as well as in East Asia.”\nTalbott said it was a big mistake for the Senate not to ratify the nuclear weapons test ban treaty in 1999. It has in turn hurt the United States’ credibility in limiting nuclear proliferation.\nTalbott also emphasized the importance of the United States taking action at the national level on climate change.\n“The United States will have to cut down on burning fossil fuels and emitting green house gases,” Talbott said. “Then it’ll gain some credibility when we go to China and India. We are going to have to make our own sacrifices and take some bold steps, which will be politically very, very tough.”
Singh: U.S., India ties need to be strengthened \nSingh said he believes in the importance of the United States and India being “natural allies.”\nIndia has been warning the world for years about the threat of terrorism in Pakistan, Singh said. \n“But I am sorry that our warnings were not heeded,” Singh said. “But now Pakistan has become a victim of a \ngreat evil.”\nHe said India and the U.S. must work together to face challenges such as this one. \nSingh also discussed the issue of private companies such as Wal-Mart taking away jobs and markets from local businessmen in India. In reference to the local businesses, “it has gone on for centuries, and I don’t see how you can transform the industry overnight and introduce the global concept,” he said.\nEven in the United States it took time to transform the country from a more small local trade industry to one that is more globalized, Singh said. \n“We need to have faith in these two great democracies (the U.S. and India) and adhere to our principles,” he said.
