So the much-anticipated seat has now been filled. Sergei Gor, the US Ambassador to India, MAGA ideologue, and self-declared 'close friend' of President Donald Trump, is finally here after his confirmation in August. That's all rather a big basket for an Ambassadorial appointee. There's more. He's also America's Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, which is likely to puzzle the Ministry of External Affairs considerably; it might even puzzle much of the US State Department. A formidable biography for a boy from Tashkent who grew up in Malta and is now, at the young age of 38, at the helm in a region that is changing by the day. The trouble is that much of that change is being driven from Washington.

His first speech after arriving in Delhi was probably watched and examined from every angle. Some of it was expected, like the over-the-top praise of his President, and a respectful nod to the US Secretary of State. In all fairness, the State Department has been equally fulsome in its own praise of the 'political prowess' of the new appointee. What was somewhat jarring was the emphasis on quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio in stressing 'reciprocity' as being the byword of the relationship. True, diplomacy is about reciprocity - there are no free lunches anywhere - but this was saying it upfront. At one level, that might be easier than untangling complicated diplomatese. Besides, our Foreign Minister Jaishankar is no less when it comes to candid comments.

The trouble is that the primary focus of reciprocity is likely to be on trade, with the US agriculture sector straining at the leash to push up exports, given the heavy debt and unsustainable subsidies. For India, that's a no-no, mostly due to political reasons. But things may change given the severe climate impact on crops, an area already facing troubles due to low productivity per acre. Nonetheless, as an agricultural nation, there is no doubt that........

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