The U.S.-India Partnership In The Asian Century

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The world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy, the United States and India have built an enduring strategic partnership that promotes peace and stability.  By augmenting a whole-of-government effort with strong involvement and support from private sector and civil society, the U.S. and India have built new collaborative approaches to complex issues like defense cooperation, energy security, global prosperity, and health.  The United States’ recent “re-balance” to Asia, acknowledging that the history of the 21st century will largely be written on the continent, complements recent Indian initiatives to accelerate its “Look East” policy and expand its engagement in East Asia.   

So, what does the future hold for U.S.-India ties and how will our partnership affect Asia in the 21st century?  How can the United States and India partner to make the region and the world more secure and more prosperous?  To help answer these questions, the Institute of International Studies is proud to welcome Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. to the Berkeley campus for a public lecture outlining the challenges for India and for the US-India relationship. 

Ambassador Blake is a career Foreign Service Officer who entered the Foreign Service in 1985.  He has served at the American Embassies in Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt.  Ambassador Blake served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission in New Delhi, India from 2003 – 2006 and then as Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives from 2006 to mid-2009.  He has held his current position as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs from May 2009 to the present.  He holds a BA from Harvard and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.