India Reporting Workshop Puts Strategic Dialogue in

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002265 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON POL AMGT IN SUBJECT: India Reporting Workshop Puts Strategic Dialogue in Context Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Ambassador enthusiastically welcomed more than 80 participants from throughout India and neighboring Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and China to an October 5-6 India Reporting Workshop in New Delhi. SCA Assistant Secretary (A/S) Blake, addressing the group via DVC, underscored the value to Washington policymakers of timely, insightful and succinct reporting from the field. During the ensuing group consultations, panels and facilitated discussions, officers and locally-employed staff (LES) explored in greater depth the multifaceted U.S. - India Strategic Dialogue and its regional implications, strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of reporting, the relationship between officers and LES, and overall career management. An expert panel examined parallels between China and India as emerging global actors. Embassy New Delhi officers also provided specialized briefings to workshop participants on climate change and energy; counterterrorism; agriculture and food security; and trafficking, human rights and religious freedom. . End Summary. Ambassador and Assistant Secretary Set the Tone -------------- -- ¶2. (SBU) In his welcoming remarks to the Workshop participants, the Ambassador spoke passionately of his experience traveling and working in Asia and its formative impact upon his thinking about U.S. policy. He recounted being encouraged by then House Speaker Tip O'Neil to seize opportunities to "get out and travel" to broaden his grasp of the international context of U.S. policymaking. This message was reiterated by A/S Blake. In his characterization of the complex range of issues with which the USG is engaged with India, he noted that the bilateral relationship was tied inextricably to relations with China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Central Asia. A/S Blake urged reporting officers to "get out a lot" in order to develop contacts. From these, he noted, one gleans the insights that can help Washington policymakers more effectively filter massive information flows. A/S Blake emphasized the importance both of succinct, crisp reporting that helps Washington make time-sensitive, informed decisions as well as analytical reports that help the intelligence community frame an understanding of longer-term trends. He said he personally read at least the subject line and summary of every cable from SCA posts every day. Strategic Overview -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Economic, Environment Science and Technology (EEST) and Political Minister Counselors (M/Cs) opened the full-day session with a discussion of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue and overarching regional issues. POL M/C said we had reached a critical point in the bilateral relationship with new administrations in both countries. India's new United Progressive Alliance-led government is keen to meet its domestic policy imperatives and deliver tangible benefits for Indians while at the same time taking on a more significant role on the world stage. For its part, while the Obama Administration has sought to build on prior successes in our strategic partnership with India, it is giving greater emphasis to moving from dialogue to concrete actions in 18 specific areas comprising five pillars of engagement. The pillars include: Strategic Cooperation; Energy and Climate Change; Education and Development; Economics, Trade and Agriculture: and Science and Technology, Health and Innovation. ¶4. (SBU) Lively discussion of the Strategic Dialogue was encouraged when the EEST M/C asked a provocative series of questions: As the oldest and largest democracies, do India and the United States really share common values? What role will/should India assume in the years to come? What tangible outcomes can enhanced bilateral engagement realistically expect to generate and how? Responses from both LES and officers acknowledged that there was much to be done to overcome stove-pipes and roadblocks, but noted that demonstrable successes could be achieved with certain interlocutors and institutions, and that these exemplars need to be highlighted and leveraged. Some noted that at the same time as it was important to underscore far-reaching mutual interests, resources must be channeled toward collaboration in areas of mutual interest. One USAID representative, for example, spoke of the importance of public and private partnership agreements, which have helped to shift the proportion of funds reaching India 4:1 in favor of foreign direct investment rather than development assistance. Similarly, in trade, science, and technology engagement, there is an increasingly pragmatic focus on identifying where partnering with the private sector can advance shared business and development priorities. India and China -------------- ¶5. (SBU) A panel discussion with Professor Alka Acharya of NEW DELHI 00002265 002 OF 002 Jawaharlal Nehru University and Peter Wonicott of the Wall Street Journal focused on the divergent paths that China and India have taken toward development and toward their neighbors. Mr. Wonicott stressed the profoundly different means by which each country has pursued economic, political and military power - each dimension reflecting China's centralized decisiveness and India's fragmented inclusiveness. Professor Acharya, on the other hand, spoke of the lens of competition and rivalry through which India tends to view China as a threat. In the discussion that ensued, workshop participants attending from Embassy Beijing said China views its relative success in reducing poverty and its growing trade surplus with India as proof of the superiority of the state-led growth model, whereas Indian press reporting of a Chinese threat is viewed as only an inflammatory confirmation. Reporting with Results -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Economic and Political Deputy Section Heads, reporting officers from Chennai and Kolkata, and the India Desk Officer attending from Washington contributed to a panel discussion on how to maximizing the effectiveness of reporting. Some panelists reiterated suggestions made by A/S Blake: to provide context, target messages to readers, and get out of the office to get to know contacts. Others encouraged the synchronization of reporting, representation, and travel plans to align with larger mission priorities, as well as coordination of reporting between sections to avoid stove-pipping and missing critical cross-cutting issues. Participants discussed using share-point, web-based and other new communications tools to more effectively exchange information, but acknowledged that the traditional cable remained important, even if sometimes it is best to email it as well as an attachment to key readers. Career Management -------------- ¶7. (SBU) LES and officers met in separate groups to exchange ideas about career management. Specialists from New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai facilitated the LES panel discussion, while the officers' panel was led by representatives from Human Resources as well as Political and Economic Sections. LES personnel focused on perennial concerns over having flat career trajectories and explored strategies for building growth and professional development opportunities into the career. Officers' discussion focused largely on the mechanics of evaluations and the functioning of promotion panels. In a combined session, a senior LES offered suggestions to officers, including: that officers communicate frequently with LESs, recognize their contributions, attend to their training and technology needs, and engage them fully in substantive work and visits. Conclusion -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The DCM, along with the workshop hosts, summarized the key takeaways from the meetings. On the full range of issues, involving both our bilateral dialogue as well as regional neighbors, we are moving from a period of dialogue to one of action. Workshop participants were urged to stay focused on critical mission priorities, while working to build trust with their Indian counterparts. In the process, reporting will continue to matter, as posts synchronize efforts with Washington and seek to build interagency collaboration. ROEMER