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The U.S. ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, has become somewhat of a celebrity—though mostly for the wrong reasons. Since starting his post in January, Gor’s mission has been to restore the U.S.-India strategic partnership after U.S. President Donald Trump took a wrecking ball to it last summer. In several ways, he has succeeded: For example, he has prioritized getting free trade agreement negotiations back on track. But his recent eyebrow-raising statements, coupled with his expansive view of his role in the region, have both complicated and confused Washington’s South Asia policy.

Last week, for example, Gor visited Srinagar—the largest city in Indian-administered Kashmir—and uttered four words that are without historic precedent. Standing alongside the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Gor characterized the territory, which is still disputed between India and Pakistan, as being an “important part of India.” His statement essentially reversed decades-long U.S. policy to remain neutral amid the dispute. Even during Trump’s first administration, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked Article 370 under the country’s constitution to effectively eliminate the semi-autonomous status of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Washington remained extremely cautious, noting that there was no change in U.S. policy and that it supported “direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir and other issues of concern.”

The U.S. ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, has become somewhat of a celebrity—though mostly for the wrong reasons. Since starting his post in January, Gor’s mission has been to restore the U.S.-India strategic partnership after U.S. President Donald Trump took a wrecking ball to it last summer. In several ways, he has succeeded: For example, he has prioritized getting free trade agreement negotiations back on track. But his recent eyebrow-raising statements, coupled with his expansive view of his role in the region, have both complicated and confused Washington’s South Asia policy.

Last week, for example, Gor visited Srinagar—the largest city in Indian-administered Kashmir—and uttered four words........

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