NEW DELHI: Amid increasing fears of US isolationism under President Trump, visiting Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Tuesday that the president’s America First policy should not be misunderstood as “America alone”. Addressing the Raisina Dialogue, she said America First is similar to PM Modi’s commitment to India First.
“This is the expectation of any leader’s commitment to their people to serve them and to put their interests at the forefront of their decisions. Trump should not be mistaken to be a president who doesn’t understand the importance of relationships with other countries as he believes in working towards shared interests,” said Gabbard, the first high-level US official to visit India since Trump returned to White House. “President Trump’s commitment to America First and putting the security and freedom of Americans at the forefront of his policies shouldn’t be misunderstood as America Alone,” she added.
Gabbard spoke about her interaction with Indian officials, saying she had heard about India’s “very serious concerns” about its security. However, while she spoke about boosting cooperation in Indo-Pacific, she did not specifically mention the threat to Indian interests from groups like Sikhs for Justice, which India wants the US to ban.
There were also opportunities from an intelligence-sharing standpoint in context of providing timely intelligence to the leadership, she added.
“The partnership between our countries has been strong for decades and under the leadership of two great leaders and two great friends, President Trump and PM Modi, and rooted in our shared values of peace and freedom, security and prosperity,” said Gabbard, beginning her address with a namaste and Jai Shri Krishna. “I am confident that this partnership and friendship between our two nations and our leaders will continue to grow and strengthen,” she added.
She spoke at length about the Indo-Pacific, saying it’s a vast and critical region that’s not just a geographic space but also the geopolitical centre of gravity for the 21st century. “So, ensuring peace and stability here is essential to our collective security, our objective of economic prosperity and our ability to work together to take on the great challenges of our time,” she said.
“And, we must tackle these challenges together. Our ability to do is critical towards achieving our collective goals,” Gabbard added.