Before his journey, Bush rolls out new India map

In a speech that lasted over half an hour, Bush set the tone right in the beginning: “More than five centuries ago, Christopher Columbus set out for India and proved the world was round. Now some look at India’s growing economy and say that that proves the world is flat.”

America’s relationship with India and Pakistan, he said, is important “for our economic security..and for our national security.”

He then went on to define this relationship against the backdrop of India’s growth story, its secular, pluralistic democracy, its growing affluence and its young talent.

“The people of America and India understand that a key part of defeating the terrorists is to replace their ideology of hatred with an ideology of hope. And so we will continue to work together to advance the cause of liberty”, Bush said.

Bush sang a paean to Indian democracy and demanded that Pakistan ensure “open”, “free and fair” polls in the general elections slated for 2007, as he emphasised his conviction that democracy is the best antidote to terrorism.

Highlighting India’s role in strengthening political pluralism around the world, Bush pointed to the contributions India is already making to the success of fledgling democratic institutions in Afghanistan.

“India’s work in Afghanistan is a good example of India’s commitment to emerging democracies. India has pledged $565 million to help the Afghan people repair the infrastructure and get back on their feet”, Bush said.

Reminding American people that India had a Muslim President and a Sikh Prime Minister, Bush said, “India is a good example of how freedom can help different people live together in peace. And this commitment to secular government and religious pluralism makes India a natural partner for the United States.”

“In the past, the Cold War and regional tensions kept us apart, but today, our interests and values are bringing us closer together”, Bush argued.

Directly confronting and rejecting the traditional American hostility towards India on nuclear non-proliferation and more recent concerns about outsourcing American jobs, Bush underlined America ’s own interest in India’s growth and prosperity. Extending full civilian nuclear cooperation to India would help reduce the pressure on oil prices and in creating a better global environment, Bush said. Sharing clean energy technologies with India, Bush insisted, “will help reduce stress on global oil markets and move our world toward cleaner and more efficient uses of energy.”

In a bow to the tortuous debate in India on separating its civilian and military nuclear programmes and the criticism in the US against the nuclear pact with India, Bush called for patience. “This is not an easy decision for India, nor is it an easy decision for the United States,” Bush said. “Implementing this agreement will take patience from both our countries.” Signaling that flexibility on both sides could produce an agreement on a separation plan in the next few days, Bush said, “By following through on our commitments, we’ll bring India’s civil nuclear program into international mainstream and strengthen the bonds of trust between our two nations.”

Bush was even more forthright on business process outsourcing that has led to protests from trade unions and Democratic opposition in Washington. “It’s true that a number of Americans have lost jobs because of companies that have shifted operations to India,” Bush said. “Losing a job is traumatic. It’s difficult. It puts a strain on our families.”

Opposing protectionism as a response, Bush said outsourcing improves the competitiveness of American industry by reducing costs and creating new jobs in the US. He also pointed to the fact that growing prosperity in India will produce more opportunities to export American goods to India.

But Bush also insisted India cannot hope to have a “one-way free trade” and that it should do more to lift caps on foreign investment and open its borders to US farm and industrial products.