A top American think-tank has launched a programme, ‘India: 2020’, which will examine short and long-term policy priorities for every aspect of the India-US strategic partnership with a focus on concrete recommendations that can be achieved by the year 2020.

India: 2020 was launched yesterday by the Center for American Progress (CAP) at an event organised by a top US think tank, where Secretary of State, John Kerry, delivered a major foreign policy speech on India.

India: 2020 seeks to build and expand upon strong foundation of the existing work on South Asia by CAP and analyse why the gap exists between the current realities and hopes for the relationship, the think tank said in a statement.

Members of the ‘India: 2020 advisory council include Ashton Carter, former Deputy Secretary of Defence, Swadesh Chatterjee, Padma Bhushan recipient, and member of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians, and Vishakha Desai, President Emeritus of the Asia Society and Special Advisor for Global Affairs to the President and Professor at Columbia University.

Other members of the advisory council include Shekar Narasimhan, Commissioner, White House Initiative of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and three former US Ambassadors to India, Nancy Powell, Tim Roemer and Frank Wisner.

“The Center for American Progress has a unique opportunity and responsibility to anticipate and shape foreign policy debates on India and the greater South Asia region.

With India: 2020 and the wisdom of our distinguished advisory council, CAP will help chart a new and ambitious course for the US-India partnership,” said CAP president Neera Tanden.

Policy recommendations

By using 2020 as a benchmark, CAP will anticipate and provide regional analysis and forward-looking policy recommendations in an effort to deepen the partnership with India through trade and investment, defence cooperation, a strategic dialogue for bilateral cooperation, and citizen exchange, a statement said.

In his remarks, Kerry praised CAP for its work on India US relationship.

“CAP has continued to prove that good ideas are still the most important currency in our political debate,” he said.

“That is a principle that has also guided CAP’s work on foreign policy, especially in convening track II — the first intensive climate change dialogue between the United States and India.’’

“India: 2020 builds on that success by showing how the United States and India together can tackle global challenges, from security in the Asia-Pacific, to providing clean energy, to delivering more inclusive growth,” Kerry said.

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