A Dinner Date

For many of the world's countries, there's an informal but intense competition to land an invitation to be the guest of honor at an official state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. As the administration prepares to roll out the red carpet for its first such event this evening, the winner is .... India.

As a clear sign that India has come into its own, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, are coming to dinner. On the menu for this glitzy and highly symbolic affair: a large helping of appreciation with accompanying sides of reassurance and respect. As the world's largest democracy and a dependable trading partner, India wants to know that Americans value the relationship even as the United States embarks on a major push for a better relationship with India's rival on the Asian block: China. It probably also makes Indian leaders skittish that the United States maintains a strategic partnership with the country with which India shares a contentious border: Pakistan.

That's why Obama made such a good choice here. It's hard to imagine a more important relationship than the one between the United States and India and or a more pivotal time in that relationship.

Not only is India an important ally for the United States in the war on terror, one that got a close-up look at the enemy after last year's terrorist attack in Mumbai, which left 166 dead and many more wounded. And not only has India emerged as a major global economy — while having to contend with crumbling infrastructure and high poverty. It also has the distinction of being, at the moment, perhaps the most stable country in South Asia, an area of the world that is of critical importance.

That happens to be an area on Obama's mind a lot lately, as he gets ready to announce his decision about how many troops to send to Afghanistan and whether it is time to pursue a new policy there. India wants to know that the United States will be invested in the neighborhood for the long haul. And that means recommitting ourselves to our relationship with India, in ways both big and small.

America's allies often complain that the United States tends to pay more attention to its adversaries than it does to its friends. They have a point. Sometimes it does seem as if countries like Pakistan and North Korea get more benefit than they deserve from their relationship with the United States. All the more reason that we shouldn't forget to recognize and honor friends like India.

That's the point behind Obama's first state dinner. Bon appetit.

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