WASHINGTON: 'Desi' names are being thrown around in Washington as the next American envoy to India, succeeding Richard Verma who is expected to demit office before January 20. Mumbai-born, India-educated scholar-diplomat Ashley Tellis, 55, has reportedly being spoken of. He is currently a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace specialising in international security, defence, and Asian Strategic issues.
He has served as senior adviser to Robert Blackwill, the US Ambassador in New Delhi, and has also served on the US National Security Council staff as a special assistant to President Bush. Tellis was also intimately involved in negotiating the civilian nuclear deal with India. President-elect Donald Trump has moved quickly- putting in nominees for Secretary of State (Rex Tillerson), Defence Secretary (Gen James Mattis), and envoys to China (Governor Terry Branstad) and Japan (William Hagerty). All have extensive experience dealing with Asia.
Tellis' nomination will have to be confirmed by the Senate. If appointed, he will most certainly be welcomed in New Delhi, not just because he's Indian-American, but also because of the scholarly work he's done on the region, on US-India ties, and his tireless promotion of closer defence and strategic relations between the two countries.
The Trump administration will have at least three other Indian-Americans. Among them are Atul Keshap, currently the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Geeta Pasi, US Ambassador to Chad, and Krisha R Urs, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain.
