'Modi Doctrine': Prime Minister's Vision Gets A New Name In Washington

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Indo-US ties has been christened the "Modi Doctrine" by Nisha Desai Biswal, the US' Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

She described PM Modi's visit this week to Washington as "historic" and said, "The most important outcome in my mind of the visit this week and of the years of effort that preceded it is the clear and compelling vision that was laid out by Prime Minister Modi before the joint session of the US Congress."

"This vision which I have come to call the Modi Doctrine laid out a foreign policy that overcomes the hesitations of history and embraces the convergence between our two countries and our shared interests," Ms Biswal said.

Ms Biswal, the Obama Administration's point person for South and Central Asia, said this at a discussion on 'Security and Strategic Outcomes from the Modi Visit' organised yesterday here jointly by the Heritage Foundation - an American think-tank - and India Foundation, a New Delhi based think-tank.

PM Modi, she said, in his speech furthered his bold vision of an India-US partnership that can anchor peace, prosperity and stability from Asia to Africa, from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and help ensure the security of the sea lanes of commerce and freedom of navigation on the seas.

"This Modi Doctrine notes that the absence of an agreed security architecture creates uncertainty in Asia and reiterates India's adherence to and calls for others support for international laws and norms," Ms Biswal said.

India, she said, is now a key element of the Obama Administration's rebalance to Asia, a strategy which recognizes that America's security and prosperity increasingly depends on the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.

"The joint strategic vision which was issued last year laid out our mutual goals and interests in the Indo-Pacific and across the global commons. We are now implementing a road map that sets out a path of co-operation to achieve those goals and protect those interests," Ms Biswal said.

In his remarks, the US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said the US welcomes and shares the Prime Minister s vision.

"We have made a clear and strategic choice to support India's transition to become, as Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has articulated, a leading power. Our actions, as security partners in every sense of the word, speak to this endeavor," he said.

"We envision India as a leading power that can uphold international norms and support what Defence Secretary Carter called last week a 'principled security network' in Asia. A leading power that can grow its economy while at the same time demonstrating global leadership on clean energy and climate," he said.

"And a leading power that joins likeminded partners to safeguard the global commons. Realising this vision will require diligent work on part of the bureaucracies in both Washington and Delhi and resilience to overcome obstacles that may arise," Mr Verma said.