Obama's visit to India more than just symbolic

IN a discussion on a recent CNN news panel, an American reporter commenting on US President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to India argued that it was the kind of non-essential foreign travel that lameduck American presidents conduct during their last months in office. "He's going to India basically for a parade and a visit to the Taj Mahal," said the reporter Julie Pace.

Indeed, it is not surprising that some observers such as Ms Pace are downplaying Mr Obama's second visit to India and describing it as nothing more than a huge media event full perhaps with symbolism, but having minimal impact on the substance of the relationship between New Delhi and Washington.

But sometimes the images produced by media events can be so powerful that they overwhelm simple policy considerations. Even if one disregards the important business deals or military agreements that are announced and signed during visits by American and Indian leaders to each other's capital, the sense of diplomatic momentum that such trips create is very powerful in terms of its impact on their …