22 July 2010

Indo-US Strategic Partnership: Confronting Competing Interests


Indo-US Strategic Partnership: Confronting Competing Interests

Kim Holmes has served as Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies and Director of the Davis Institute for International Studies at The Heritage Foundation, except for his tenure as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs during President George W. Bush’s first term. Many of Holmes’ recommendations have become U.S. policy. Recognized around the globe as one of Washington’s foremost foreign and defense policy experts, Holmes is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he formerly served on the Washington Advisory Committee. Previous appointments include the Defense Policy Board, which is the U.S. defense secretary’s primary resource for expert outside advice; the Board of Directors of the Center for International Private Enterprise; and public member of the U.S. delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. While at the State Department, Holmes was responsible for developing policy and coordinating U.S. engagement at the United Nations and 46 other international organizations. Important goals achieved at that time included the U.N. mandates enabling Iraq to make the transition to democracy; the Security Council’s first binding nonproliferation resolution; the U.N.’s first mandate requiring the Office of Internal Oversight Services to release reports to member states; an international outcry over Libya’s assuming chairmanship of the Commission on Human Rights, which culminated in that body’s refashioning; and establishment of the U.N. Democracy Caucus and U.N. Democracy Fund. His published works include Defending the American Homeland, a post 9-11 task force report; Defending America: A Near and Long Term Plan to Deploy Missile Defenses; and Restoring American Leadership: A U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy Blueprint. His scholarly articles have appeared in such journals as National Interest, Journal Aspenia (Italy), Harvard University’s International Security, and Columbia University’s Journal of International Affairs.

Dr. Holmes is well positioned to discuss the issues facing the new India-US relationship. While many  feel that the Obama administration has taken its eye off the nascent relationship with India, others argue that in fact the two countries are regularizing their interactions, and the US is in the early stages of giving India the same level of attention it gives China. The US and India are clearly allied at many levels, but they also confront competing interests around the world. The discussion will range from new technology agreements and resultant innovation, to energy security, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Iran.