The U.S.’s new Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster, who presented his credentials this week to President Ram Nath Kovind, has the longest association with India among officials of the current administration. Long before the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal was discussed, it was Mr. Juster who laid its foundations as U.S. Under-Secretary of Commerce, negotiating the “end-user agreement” for dual-use technologies with India.
“[Ambassador Juster] was an important figure at the time the transformational changes occurred in the India-U.S. relationship,” recounts former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, who met Mr. Juster in 2004 for the signing of the end-user agreement, which led to the George Bush-Manmohan Singh announcement of the ‘next steps in the strategic partnership’, which eventually saw the beginning of negotiations on the nuclear deal.
Linchpin of diplomacy
Mr. Juster, a Republican, moved away from the government during the Barack Obama years, but remained interested in India as a member of the U.S.-India Business Council, and joined investment firm Warburg Pincus as partner in 2010. That he was involved in advising U.S. companies on investments in India held up his nomination process this year, as U.S. agencies investigated for possible conflicts of interest, before vetting Mr. Juster, who was designated by President Trump in September this year.
“In an administration with several rivalries and factions, the good news for India is that Ken is an Ambassador who can communicate across the board, and is known and respected, whether it is at the White house, Trade, Defence or the State Department,” former U.S. Ambassador to India Frank Wisner told The Hindu .
Trade on priority
Many view Mr. Juster’s appointment as a signal from the Trump administration that trade will be a priority in the relationship. “It is clear that growing bilateral economic ties will be at the top of the new Ambassador’s agenda, given his background,” a U.S. official, who preferred not to be named, said, adding that it is significant that his first public address will be delivered at the U.S.’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad on November 28, along with Ivanka Trump.
Equally important will be resolving some of the long-pending issues the two countries have had on trade, and during his confirmation hearings at the U.S. Senate, Mr. Juster spoke about some “troubling” issues over market access, intellectual property rights, and the U.S. contention that India isn’t adhering to its obligations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). “Strategic engagement cannot proceed without a strong commercial underpinning,” Mr. Juster had said, speaking at a business chamber event in Delhi in November 2003. “An enhanced economic relationship will provide a solid foundation for everything else that we wish to do together.”
Diplomats say one of the first challenges for Mr. Juster in the strategic engagement today will be in completing the “foundational agreements” for closer military and technological cooperation, of which only one has been signed so far. Another imperative will be setting out the future course on the South Asia policy for Afghanistan, and the “Indo-Pacific” initiative at a time when President Trump’s moves with China have caused some confusion.
Challenges
“The biggest challenge for Mr. Juster will be to assure of the credibility of security partnerships that the U.S. has in mind for India, whether it is in the Quad (with Japan and Australia), or any other,” said Mr. Saran.
