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Bush era warmth over? US seen drifting from India

NEW DELHI: It was a walk-past that raised eyebrows. At the G-20 summit in Cannes, observers saw what they described as a strange scene -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh standing to the side while US President Barack Obama strode past him to greet another head of state with nary a glance at him. Although the two leaders enjoyed a quiet chat later and are slated for a bilateral summit in Bali next week, for many in the room, the overlook seemed to symbolize what is now popularly described as a drift in the India-US relationship. Dirges have been sung over the India-US relationship for some time now. US makes no secret of a growing disappointment with India, while India realizes that the warmth in ties subsided with George Bushs exit. The newer phenomenon is that few tears are being shed in the top levels of the Indian establishment over the state of ties with the US. So what gives? US remains shell-shocked over the MMRCA rejection while Indias positions on Libya, Syria and Palestine -- and increasingly Iran -- draw scorn from Washingtons administration elite. After Obamas soul-stirring speech in the Indian Parliament last November, at least on the nuclear front, India has not, according to the US, delivered. India refuses to change its liability law, whose punitive liability provisions keep US firms out, even though they have thawed enough to carry out early works agreements with NPCIL. India has been at the receiving end of a harangue on ratification of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation. India has promised to ratify it but is yet to do it. Consequently, Indias membership to the four non-proliferation regimes is still a twinkle in the eye. Indias disappointment goes beyond. In the government, there is little sympathy for US action in Libya or Syria, despite the fact that neither Muammar Gaddafi nor Bashar Al Assad are Indian favourites. India is now increasingly coming round to the view that a US withdrawal from Afghanistan might not be so bad for the region. The recent US move to strike deal with the Haqqani Network at ISIs bidding has not gone down well in India.

                                                                                                               
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