Q&A with Xenia Dormandy

The Project on India and the Subcontinent is a new initiative of the Belfer Center, directed by former Executive Director for Research Xenia Dormandy. Its mission is to build knowledge, leadership and recommendations on key policy-critical issues related to the rise of India and South Asia. Dormandy answered the following questions about the new project.

In what ways are India and the Subcontinent critical to United States and global interests?

If you were to list the greatest challenges facing the United States or the world today they would include such issues as weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, energy, environment, economic development, HIV/AIDS and more. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the other countries in the region are all intimately involved with addressing these problems. For example:

• India with a population of over 1.1 billion is one of the fastest growing economies today with one of the fastest growing greenhouse gas emissions levels. Dealing with climate change will not be possible without India's involvement.
• In 2001, we came as close to nuclear war as we ever have when India and Pakistan lined up their militaries to face one another.
• Afghanistan produces over 90 percent of the world's opium.
• India is fast becoming a central player and leading democracy, not just in Asia but globally. Its influence is growing as America's diminishes in this area.

What are your short- and long-term objectives for the Project on India and the Subcontinent?

The project will serve as a hub within the Belfer Center and Kennedy School for policy-related research, teaching, and analysis regarding both U.S. relations with the countries of South Asia, and on transnational issues of relevance to South Asia, such as economic development, terrorism, and health. We plan to build on a small core of faculty and fellows to become a leading forum for policy recommendations. This core will also provide a base for enhancing education and training on South Asia related issues and provide a network for all those interested in working more on this region.

Several Belfer Center programs are currently involved in various aspects of India and South Asia issues. How will your project interact with these activities?

The Project will build on what we already do on South Asia, focusing on three main areas: geostrategy, environment and energy, and nonproliferation. In the geostrategic area, Belfer Center experts such as Joe Nye , Ash Carter and I already advance the policy debate on such issues as India's role in Asia, the bilateral relationship, and mutual expectations. We will work closely with the Energy Technology Innovation Policy group (ETIP) to support their work in India exploring energy efficiency improvements, India's use of coal, and the transportation sector. And, the project will work with the Managing the Atom (MTA) Project on improving our nonproliferation policy, the roles of India and Pakistan in the international regimes and export controls, and not least, how to mitigate the chances of nuclear war in the region. Given both Ash Carter and my long involvement in the civil nuclear deal with India, we will continue to work in this area to evaluate the deal and understand its longer term consequences. In time, the project will expand to encompass many of the other strategic interests in the region and bilaterally, including among others terrorism, narcotics, and health.

How will your project's objectives and activities differ from the work of other Harvard programs focusing on South Asia, such as the South Asia Initiative, Asia Center, and Global Equity Initiative?

The University is reenergizing its work on South Asia, recognizing the increasingly important role this region has in a broad array of areas from health to religion to language and the business sector. The South Asia Initiative will provide a network that will work to improve collaboration and coherency with the various programs run by Harvard's schools. The Belfer Center's Project on India and the Subcontinent is proud to be able to join this broader alliance of centers and projects working in this region, bringing to it a policy focus that is so vital.

In so doing, we are building on a strong and illustrious history in the India policy domain, starting with the appointment of John Kenneth Galbraith as ambassador to Delhi, followed by Daniel Patrick Moynihan and, most recently, Robert Blackwill.

As director for South Asia at the National Security Council, you played an instrumental part in facilitating the U.S-India nuclear deal. What role does this proposed deal play in the U.S.-India relationship?

The State Department's Undersecretary for Policy Nicholas Burns has described the civil nuclear deal as "the symbolic centerpiece" of the relationship. He is right in that it is truly symbolic; it represents much that has kept our two countries apart for over 50 years. Completing it will go far toward building trust and confidence between the two governments and peoples as to what is now possible. However, the relationship itself is vastly broader and deeper than this one area of policy. There are more Indian students in the U.S. than from any other nation. Trade is growing by 20 percent a year and with a population of 1.1 billion the market is enormous. We are working together on civil space issues, and in defense, science, and technology, infrastructure, agriculture, education and more. The deal is an important hurdle, and completing it sends an important message — but there is so much more to do.