India, US hashed up bilateral ties: Talbott

India and the US made a hash of what would have been a healthy bilateral relationship. The relationship has suffered in the shadow of the Cold War, according to Strobe Talbott, former US deputy secretary of state.

Talbott, who is now the president of the Brookings Institute in the US, was speaking at the Round Table on "Leadership in Public Policy-Integrating Good Governance with Good business", organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

However, stating that the ties between the two countries had not made any substantial progress, Talbott complimented the Bush administration for maintaining a continuity in the Indo-US ties.

Talbott said he was in Bangalore to support and recognise Indian think tanks. Recently, the ORF and the Brookings Institution entered a partnership to help influence relationships between India and the US.

In his address, Nandan M Nilekani, president, CEO and managing director of Infosys Technologies, said, "In the US, public, individuals and corporations are roped into policy formulation." In India too, we need more independent bodies to support corporations."