Washington, Oct 13 (IANS): Declaring that the "future of politics will be decided in Asia", the US has said that India will be the linchpin of it new vision of an economically integrated and politically stable South and Central Asia.
"The future of politics will be decided in Asia, not Afghanistan or Iraq, and the United States will be right at the centre of the action," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in an Op-Ed in Foreign Policy Magazine outlining US priorities after the end of Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Describing China as "one of the most prominent" of emerging partners", Clinton said the US was setting its sights on "enhancing coordination and engagement among the three giants of the Asia-Pacific: China, India, and the United States".
"Among key emerging powers with which we will work closely are India and Indonesia, two of the most dynamic and significant democratic powers of Asia," Clinton said describing them as "key drivers of the global economy' whose "importance is likely to grow in the years ahead".
Noting that President Barack Obama told the Indian parliament last year that the relationship between India and America will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, rooted in common values and interests, she said there are still obstacles to overcome and questions to answer on both sides.
But "the United States is making a strategic bet on India's future - that India's greater role on the world stage will enhance peace and security, that opening India's markets to the world will pave the way to greater regional and global prosperity".
It was also betting "that Indian advances in science and technology will improve lives and advance human knowledge everywhere, and that India's vibrant, pluralistic democracy will produce measurable results and improvements for its citizens and inspire others to follow a similar path of openness and tolerance".
"So the Obama administration has expanded our bilateral partnership; actively supported India's Look East efforts, including through a new trilateral dialogue with India and Japan; and outlined a new vision for a more economically integrated and politically stable South and Central Asia, with India as a linchpin.