Israel’s chequered journey since its independence in 1948 notwithstanding, there are very few countries that qualify to be such natural allies for India. And there are several reasons for it.
In India, Holocaust Studies is a most neglected subject. The Second World War itself is barely taught in schools, despite India having been deeply involved in many ways besides the contribution of 2.5 million volunteers to fight the war, in the sea, air and land.
US President Donald Trump’s state visit to India, a little more than eight months before he faces the voters in his bid for a second term, is significant not only for what it may yield in enhancing the strategic relationship between sister democracies but for what it says about the rising stature of India and Indian Americans on the US political landscape.
Misguided United States policy will relegate our nation to the sideline when the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — the multilateral trade agreement spearheaded by China that rivals the now largely defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — is signed.
Abe, who met with AJC delegations six times in Tokyo, and addressed the 2015 AJC Global Forum, also met with other Jewish organizations and leaders while in office. He went above and beyond previous Japanese prime ministers in his dedicated outreach.