Why India Doesn’t Have a Full-Time American Ambassador Despite Being an ‘Indispensable’ Quad Partner

The American Embassy in New Delhi has been operating throughout the Biden Administration without the benefit of an ambassador. This has, no doubt, affected the pace (read-negligible), at which strategic and military cooperation initiatives have been advancing. Despite statements from on-high in America that India is an important strategic ally of the United States, and a highly valued, even ‘indispensable’ Quad partner, and the signing of several strategic agreements between the two countries, not much change has been wrought on the ground.

Even though the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken described the US-India partnership as the ‘most consequential in the world’. It is a glaring fact that Beijing, or indeed bankrupt Islamabad, does not go for long without an American ambassador in place.

This is despite India being purportedly an important ally in the region and standing as a bulwark against Chinese hegemony. There are American ambassadors in place in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh as well. It is only India that seems to be a victim of America’s currently dysfunctional political system.

Routine matters at the New Delhi American Embassy too are not exactly in the pink, such as the issuance of visas to Indians. The healthy bilateral trade, such as pharmaceutical exports from India, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, seem to be running on auto-pilot, monitored, no doubt by the Charge d’affaires in place.

The shadows in the empty Roosevelt House, the ambassador’s residence in New Delhi, have recently been compounded by friendly American overtures to Islamabad. These include a $ 450 million deal to refurbish Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, and once again calling Pakistan a strategic Non-Nato ally. There have been motivated statements against the Indian position in Jammu and Kashmir, voiced by the American Ambassador and other American Congressmen from so-called ‘Azad Kashmir’ known as Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in India.

There have been little beyond supportive words with regard to Chinese belligerence along the long LAC. Meanwhile, the Chinese are relentlessly building up infrastructure and offensive military capacity in various hotspots of illegally occupied Indian, Bhutanese, and Nepalese territory. Where are the American sanctions now, so readily applied to Iran and Russia?

Perhaps much more than this cannot be properly expected to be put on track and advanced without an American ambassador in place. An ambassador can drive processes and initiatives between India and US to provide sorely needed content and meaning.

India cannot be blamed however, if it doubts American sincerity, given its frequent changes in policy based on pulls and tugs in its State Department and Pentagon’s Foggy Bottom. American perfidy and covert activity via the CIA is commonplace, as is its knack of either exploiting or letting down its allies.

Ironically, some observers have noted that India was graced with distinguished and influential American ambassadors, when it was certainly not a strategic partner of the US. Perhaps it was keen on weaning India away from the influence of the USSR at the time.

Is there then, a certain complacency on the part of America now? Does it think that India has nowhere to go? That it has to rely on America and the West, given its strained relationship with China. And the preoccupation of Russia with the Ukraine that is drawing Russia closer into the dragon’s embrace?

Still, it must be noted that Russia has delivered three out of the four S-400 systems ordered from them to India so far through the conflict and despite American pressure against the purchase in the first place. So, if America is writing off the Indian relationship with Russia in spite of its over 50 percent reliance on Russian military equipment, engineering, spares, collaboration — it may be in for a surprise. Russia, in fact, and the USSR before it, have been steadfast allies of India over the decades. But after the Russo-Ukraine War it is unlikely that there will be any love lost between Slavic Russia, America, and European NATO.

The latest person acting as head of the mission in New Delhi, is a 74-year-old career diplomat of 38 years standing. Charge d’affaires A. Elizabeth Jones, has been holding the fort since 26 October 2022. America has appointed six such interim envoys to New Delhi since former US ambassador Kenneth Juster’s departure in January 2021.  In the past, a new ambassador has usually taken up the position within six to seven months after the former ambassador departs.

Even American senators, embarrassed by this unusual situation, are calling this an insult to India, which India, on its part, has graciously chosen to ignore. Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has suggested that Eric Garcetti may as well stay in Los Angeles as his appointment has lost ‘priority’. There is not a great deal of time left before the present term of the Biden Administration comes to an end in 2024. It typically takes any ambassador about six months in-country to get settled in, said Sibal.

The 52-year-old American ambassador-designate, Garcetti, apparently a good friend and associate of President Joe Biden, was first nominated in July 2021. He is accused of ignoring sexual misconduct involving a senior political aide under his watch. Garcetti, on his part, has repeatedly denied the charge.

Nevertheless, various Republican and even Democratic Senators have objected to Garcetti’s appointment to what is considered a strategically important diplomatic post.

Garcetti is a former Mayor of Los Angeles, and has not been confirmed by the US Senate. You would think that President Biden would substitute the controversial candidate with another. But instead, the incumbent was reconfirmed as the Ambassador-designate afresh in January 2023.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez scheduled a vote on Garcetti’s nomination as recently as on 28 February 2023. However, Republican Senator Mark Rubio, the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, placed a hold on his nomination. The vote is now postponed to 8 March.

If this inability to appoint an acceptable ambassador to India is partly because of India’s independent stance on the Russo-Ukrainian War, it doesn’t explain the two-year-plus delay.

India’s business dealings with Russia, including the buying of almost all its crude oil from Russia, at a time when Russia is suffering heavy American and NATO country sanctions, can’t be palatable to Washington. However, the war is just over a year old, and Garcetti has been in limbo for over two.

Meanwhile, US visa processing from India can take upwards of a year and statements to speed things up from time to time have not, as yet, borne fruit. Contrast this with the just one week it takes to obtain a US visa from Bangkok.

So what has really worked for the relationship? It is summit diplomacy that has largely kept the Indo-American relationship on track. Visible warmth from the high officials of America. Prime Minister Modi is shortly to visit Washington on a state visit. Recent visits to India by the secretaries of state, defence and treasury, have all been most cordial. Perhaps this is the big difference. Other countries have ambassadors. India has close relations with the very top of the American power structure. This is more or less undeniable. It does not afford Red China much room to smirk.

The author is a Delhi-based writer. Views expressed are personal.

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