The major Indian story of the week is the upcoming visit of the Indian prime minister to the White House. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is currently visiting in the UK, yet that was a minor part of the story. The focus was on visit with President George W. Bush. The Indian press was very happy with Bush's decision to lift export controls on high tech equipment for India, specifically equipment for India's nuclear and space industries. In turn, India agreed to address Bush's concerns about nuclear proliferation.
As an American, I am sometimes oblivious to the international influence wielded by our president. I take for granted that whoever holds our presidency is "the most powerful man in the world" without realizing the impact this has on the citizens of other great powers such as India.
This visit between Singh and Bush is important news and I hope some of my fellow bloggers can take time from discussing our November election to cover this story. I have long believed that India and the US should be close allies since we share so much in common (e.g., we both have democratic forms of government, our law has a common British heritage, etc.). Yet, the politics of the cold war (where India became firm friends with the Soviets) and the war on terror (where Indians are dismayed that we are improving relations with Pakistan) have kept the relationship cooler than it should be. I hope that this visit is another large step toward much closer relations between our countries.