Identifying India as the one among the new centers of power in the world, a top Obama aide has said Indo-US ties is the defining relationship of the 21st century.
"Engagement means deepening cooperation with key centres of power. In Russia, the reset, has elevated relations to the best point in years. In China, we now have a broad- based strategic and economic dialogue. In India, which President Obama calls one of the defining relationships of the 21st century; and obviously in Brazil," US National Security Advisor, General (rtd) James Jones said.
"These are new realities, new centers of power and influence that are coming on the world scene and that we will have to engage with and will do constructively and effectively," Jones while addressing a gathering at the Centre for American Progress, a Washington- based think-tank.
By engagement the Obama Administration was talking about renewing and strengthening alliances and partnerships, he added.
In Europe, the US has been working with NATO and the strategic-concept review that's ongoing and supporting European integration; in the Asia-Pacific region, it worked to strengthen alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, and deepening cooperation with partners such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
Jones said that in the Middle East, reaffirming US' unwavering commitment to the peace process as we pursue the Arab-Israeli efforts to find the common ground to restart the talks and continue to work hard to convince both parties that it was in their strategic interest to do so in the shortest period of time. And in the Americas, the US partnered with Mexico and Colombia and Brazil, Central America.
The response of the Obama Administration to horrific situation in Haiti was further proof that the US was indeed a partner that can be counted on and relied on in both good times and bad, he added.
"I think that the response that has been garnered in support of Haiti has been very effective and will only get better as time goes on. In Africa, the president's trip to Ghana signalled new opportunity to partner for good governance and development that improves lives.
"I think Africa would be a continent where we have to spend much more time thinking about strategically, particularly as we look at the expansion of Al Qaeda-like networks throughout at least the northern part of that continent and the potential of it going elsewhere," Jones said.
