A group of Indian MPs have done a crash course at the prestigious Yale University of the US. The course was specially tailored for them incorporating issues like global economic governance, counter-insurgency efforts in Afghanistan and political developments in the Middle East.
During the six-day course on the university campus, the 11-member Parliamentary delegation headed by BJD’s Baijayant “Jay” Panda participated in discussions with Yale faculty on global economic governance, US economy, corruption in government, counter-insurgency efforts in Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear programme and political and economic developments in China.
Other topics that dominated the discussions were political developments in the Arab world, US Presidential elections, economic and political crises in the Eurozone and higher education in India.
There were also sessions on challenges of leadership, strategy, negotiation and applied game theory.
The India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme was launched in 2007. In total, more than 70 members of India’s Parliament will have participated since it was created.
After completing the course which was organised by the university in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians, the MPs arrived here yesterday and met Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, former US Ambassador Tim Roemer and ex-top American diplomat John Negroponte.
“I see a dramatic” change in mood in the US against Pakistan, Panda, Chairman of the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians, said following the day-long meetings with government officials and think tanks here.
“In the US there are lawmakers who are no longer willing to be as tolerant as the US has been in the past,” he said.
Over the next two days, the delegation is scheduled to meet lawmakers, and hold meetings at Pentagon and White House.
