Bush’s India Visit Has Strategic Impact

U.S. President George Bush’s India visit will help give substance to his long-held call for building stronger partnership with the world’s largest democracy.

Bush has stressed the same theme since he was the Texas governor running for president in 2000, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

The visit, which begins on Wednesday, will deal with issues like the U.S.-India nuclear power agreement, security and economic ties. Bush also will discuss India’s relations with its traditional foe Pakistan, which Bush will visit briefly Saturday.

Closer U.S.-India ties are one of the most significant developments of the early part of the 21st century, said an analyst.

India, with a population of more than 1 billion that includes 150 million Muslims with no known al-Qaida connections and a growing middle class, is seen by the administration as exemplifying the future of a peaceful and prosperous world, says the report.

New Delhi has joined the list of capitals to which a U.S. presidential visit is now imperative, says former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth.

A more mature relationship will also help India to enhance its status as a world power.