By Xinhua Writer Yang Qingchuan

    WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Monday's signing of a new U.S.-India defense pact in New Deli is hailed here by some as one concrete achievement of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to India.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) smiles next to India's Foreign Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna during the signing of agreements ceremony in New Delhi July 20, 2009.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The Christian Science Monitor called it a "tangible accomplishment."

    Meanwhile, the deal once again put the growing Washington-New Deli defense relationship under spotlight, observers said.

    The agreement, inked by Clinton and Indian Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna, will set terms for U.S. officials to monitor India's weapons usage and allow the US to sell sophisticated military technology to India, including fighter jets.

    Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. would be allowed to conduct "end-use monitoring," meaning it would conduct regular assessments of India's military policies to verify that weapons systems are being used for their intended purposes.

    Such an agreement is required by U.S. law before American companies can legally sell weapons systems to any foreign nation.

    In other words, it will turn on the greenlight for U.S. defense giants such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, to sell advanced and sophisticated weaponry to India.

    "The agreement will boost India's ability to defend itself through the acquisition of U.S. defense equipment while promoting American high tech exports," the U.S. State Department said of the deal in a statement.

    Clinton also signed agreements with India on science, technology, space and nuclear sites.

    STRATEGIC COOPERATION

    During Clinton's visit, the U.S. and Indian governments set the tone for a Strategic Dialogue that will focus on five principal pillars.

    According to U.S. officials, the first and foremost pillar is the strategic cooperation, which includes military, nonproliferation and counterterrorism cooperation.

    In fact, since the end of Cold War, the U.S.- India defense ties have been growing continuously, becoming a prominent feature of in the development of two-way relations.

    During the Cold-war years, the United States formed a military alliance with Pakistan, India's rival in the region, while India received lots of military assistance from then Soviet Union, top U.S. enemy at the time.

    But the United States soon found a new interest in developing military ties with India once the Cold War ended.

    In 1995, then U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry visited India and signed a pact with India to start defense cooperation.

    However, India's nuclear tests in 1998 angered the Clinton administration, who imposed sanctions on New Deli.

    But that is only a very brief episode and in 2000 then U.S. President Bill Clinton paid a "historical visit" to India and formally announced the U.S.-India partnership. The bilateral military ties not only recovered after that, but also flourished to a higher level.

    The Bush administration further elevated the importance of the U.S.-India ties in strategic and security context, regarding India as an emerging power with "global status."

    When George W. Bush announced his new missile defense plan in May 2001, many in the international community opposed it.

    However, the Indian government expressed its support for the plan.

    After 9/11 terror attacks, India actively supported Bush's war-on-terror and offered military cooperation.

    NEW ERA OF MILITARY TIES

    More importantly, in July 2005, the two countries decided to upgrade their relationship to "global partnership," and thus ushered in a new era of bilateral military cooperation.

    The recent years have witnessed frequent exchanges of high-level military leaders between Washington and New Deli.

    Since 2007, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen and other top U.S. generals paid respective visits to New Deli. The two-way military cooperation has been institutionalized and various levels of dialogue mechanisms have been set up.

    The two militaries signed a defense cooperation framework in 2005 and the talks for global logistics cooperation are underway.

    Joint exercises between the two militaries have grown in scale and frequency.

    U.S. arms sale to India has been increasing steadily with more and more advanced weaponry shipped to New Deli, including F-16 andF-18 fighter jets, a Austin-class amphibious transport ship and C-130 cargo planes.

    Most recently, the Obama administration in May 2009 approved the sale to India of 8 P-8I maritime patrol aircraft worth 2.1 billion U.S. dollars, the largest U.S. arms transfer to India to date.

    MULTIPLE PURPOSES

    For policymakers in Washington, closer military relationship with India will serve multiple purposes.

    Foremost, Washington regards India as a vital balancing force in Asia, where several emerging powers exist.

    Zhao Qinghai, a Chinese international affairs researcher, pointed out that there is a military meaning under Washington's pledge to "help India to become a 21st century world power."

    Some U.S. officials have discussed about an idea of an Asian version of NATO, a military alliance among the United States, India, Japan and Australia.

    Secondly, overstretched by two wars, the United States obviously hopes to find a new partner like India to share some of its burden across the globe.

    Thirdly, the U.S. defense industry could benefit from growing U.S. arms sale to India, which has been vigorously increasing defense procurement.

    Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co. are competing for India's plan to buy 126 multi-role fighters, which would be one of the largest arms deals in the world. Clinton's trip to India will bring home some good news for them.

    Evan A. Feigenbaum, an expert at Council of Foreign Relations, said explicitly that "India is among the largest potential U.S. defense customers."

    However, as a growing power, India is proud of its history and culture, and has its own aspirations and visions, which may not all fit in with U.S. strategic calculations.

    India's nonalignment and independent foreign policy is unlikely to change.

    Also, India's traditional relations with Russia and other key regional players may require a balance when dealing with the United States and other countries at the same time. 

Clinton sees real will on Pakistan part to fight terrorism

  NEW DELHI, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The visiting United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday said here that there's a real will on Pakistan part to fight terrorism.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L, Front) meets with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh(R, Front) in New Delhi, capital of India, on July 20, 2009. (Xinhua/Stringer) Photo Gallery>>>

    "I have seen a real will on the part of Pakistan government to tackle terrorism. It is their government which is being attacked and people who are being mistreated," Clinton said at an interactive session with students at Delhi University. Full story

U.S. hopes Pakistan brings Mumbai attacks perpetrators to justice: Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) meets with Indian Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh as she visits the ITC Green Center in Gurgaon, India, July 19, 2009. (Xinhua/Stringer) Photo Gallery>>>

    NEW DELHI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Calling terrorism a threat to the whole world, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday said that the United States hopes that Pakistan will bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to justice.

    "We are watching and expecting that justice is done in the Mumbai attacks case and those behind it face the reckoning," Clinton said at a function in Gurgaon, some 30 km from the Indian national capital where she arrived this afternoon. Full story