Robert Blake, U.S. assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, spoke yesterday in the Rotunda Dome Room about developments in those regions and the shift in the "fulcrum of geopolitics" to Asia in general.
South and Central Asia encompasses Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, among other countries.
It's "really a top priority for us to expand our engagement" with countries in the region because they combine to make up "half of global output and half of global trade," Blake said." He added that close interaction will in turn help the U.S. economy.
The United States hopes to work with the region to develop a "new Silk Road," which would engage South and Central Asian countries in a "web of trade, transit and energy connections," Blake said.
The "Silk Road" would make the region a hub for global commerce, he added.
Blake said one of the most important countries in the region is India, which is among "the fastest growing economies in the world." Because of new developments initiated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Blake said he expects India's "vibrant growth" to continue.
Blake also described the United States' new bilateral partnership with India. "We both want to help shape the future of the region, and there are a lot of big questions for us to consider," he said.
India "plays a key role" in the primary concerns of the United States in South and Central Asia, Blake said. These concerns consist of "engaging with regional multilateral institutions, expanding trade and investment, forging a broad-based military presence, and advancing democracy and human rights," he said.
Another key issue in the region is the stability of Afghanistan.
"It's important that we look at how we can put Afghanistan on a more self-sustaining basis," Blake said.
He noted that the United States has supported Afghan, Turkish and German efforts to organize a series of conferences intended to strengthen regional and international commitments to Afghanistan beyond 2014, when American troops withdraw completely.
Blake emphasized Afghanistan's need to develop economically through "sustainable, private-sector-led" investments to decrease expensive international assistance.
"Recent trends in [South and Central Asia] offer the promise of greater prosperity and security for people in the region, but also for the people of the United States," he said. "There is no doubt that challenges remain and we should be mindful that comprehensive change is a very long term endeavor"
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