Indian diaspora influence in US policy, politics rising

MILAN VAISHNAV, director of the South Asia programme at the Carnegie Endowment and a keen India watcher, tells Aditi Phadnis in New Delhi that amid new challenges, the Indian diaspora is emerging as a new and influential force in shaping United States (US) policy towards India. Edited excerpts:

- MILAN VAISHNAV

The Israeli diaspora in the US has had a significant influence on the US's foreign policy. The Chinese diaspora in the US played a crucial role in the economic rise of China in the 1990s by investing in China and then lobbying for a trade policy that would make the US China's most important market.

How is the Indian diaspora in the US placed, in terms of reach and influence? Are we there yet?

The Indian American diaspora is growing in leaps and bounds, both demographically as well in terms of its influence, but it remains a work in progress. It has not achieved its full potential, and there are at least two reasons for this.

Which are?

First, with any immigrant community, the first generation of new arrivals typically steers clear from politics and policy because its members are preoccupied with establishing themselves, integrating into society, rearing families, and building careers.

Second, it is worth remembering that the Indian diaspora in the US is very new, in comparative terms. Seventy per cent of Indian immigrants to the US arrived in the year 2000 or after. This number puts in stark relief just how new the vast majority of Indian immigrants are.

Having said that, it is the children of those who arrived after the loosening of America's immigration restrictions after 1965 who are now coming of age and getting more involved in politics and policy. Most of the prominent Indian Americans we see in the world of politics, for instance, come from this cohort. We are soon arriving at the stage where the third generation is approaching adulthood, and I expect we will see a huge rise in the community's involvement in politics and policy as a result.

The profile of the Indian diaspora in the US is changing. What changes do you see? What is the trajectory for the diaspora in the future?