The announcement by US President Donald J Trump of Sergio Gor as America’s ambassador to India is good news. Indeed, it could not have come at a better time because India-US ties, once supposed to shoot up sky-high, seem to be close to their all-time nadir. But are things so bad? I think not. If we change our perspective, choosing pragmatism over sentiment, the picture may become clearer. Let us focus on the opportunities rather than the problems in our relationship.

Speaking of Ambassador-designate Gor, he is a young man, not yet forty. As the next occupant of Roosevelt House in India’s capital, he follows in the wake of popular, distinguished, and influential predecessors including, among others, Chester Bowles, who served twice, John Kenneth Galbraith, Daniel P Moynihan, and more recently, Richard R Verma, and Kenneth I Juster. But what is more, Gor also holds additional charge as Trump’s Special Envoy on South and Central Asian Affairs.

No need for alarm bells. This does not mean an automatic re-hyphenation of India and Pakistan in US eyes. And, yes, let us accept that the US will continue to play a key role in the region. We need not jump the gun, with the knee-jerk or premature red flag waving of the tired old anti-American rhetoric of “neo-colonialism" or “interference." India, both as a state and civilization, not to mention the largest democracy and most populous nation on earth, as well as a significant military and economic power, is more than capable of standing on its own. The US knows this and is keen to conserve, even enhance, the Indo-American partnership, not........

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