Mint Quick Edit | US envoy Gor’s brief is a puzzle

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On one hand, it’s a relief that there’ll be someone to act as a link between New Delhi and Washington after a gap of seven months and at a time of frayed ties. On the other, Gor’s wider mandate to also serve as Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs may imply a subtle hyphenation of India with Pakistan, which New Delhi has been opposed to.

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Though we can’t guess the brief that Trump may have given him, it might be unhelpful if our bilateral relationship somehow gets framed in a regional context. Yet, it may be premature to read the appointment as a sign of America’s priorities. 

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While US voices calling for the White House to restore warm relations with us may hold little weight, the geopolitical imperative of the times, with China looking to expand its influence, would be irrational of the US to overlook. Trump is known to change his mind frequently, but our joint challenge is to have constancy prevail on what matters most.