INDIAN-AMERICAN SHAH IN THE SADDLE AS USAID CHIEF

An adventurous 36-yearold Indian-American who navigated glaciers and volcanoes before taking to developmental work was thrown into the political cauldron in Washington DC on Thursday in what is purportedly the highest federal government position occupied by a person of Indian origin in the US.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who should know a thing or two about beltway politics, warned Rajiv Shah about the pitfalls in Washington DC even as she sworn him in as the Obama administrations USAID chief, a high-profile and lately controversial job that involves overseeing disbursal of a nearly $ 40 billion US foreign aid programme.

ALL SET: Rajiv Shah is sworn in by US secretary of state Hillary Clinton with his family by his side in Washington

Describing Shah, who worked with the Gates Foundation till 2008 as a passionate, visionary, experienced development expert, Clinton joked, This is also a man who summated the 14,400-foot Mount Rainier, one of the most difficult climbs in the continental United States. It combines the challenges of an unforgiving glacier with the unpredictability of an active volcano. That may be the best preparation Raj has for working in Washington these days.

The remark was an oblique reference to the continued struggle and controversy in the capital over the role of USAID, which is technically a statutory independent federal agency but works under the State Department overhang. The position of the administrator had also been kept vacant for months as lawmakers (who have to confirm the candidate) and the administration wrangled over nominees before settling on Shah last November . Clinton herself disclosed the administrations exertions to find the right candidate, recalling that when she phoned to ask secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack (with whom Shah worked as under secretary before being picked for the new job) if he would mind her nominating Shah to be the USAID administrator, there was this long silence on the other end before he gave us, if not his blessing, his understanding.

In fact, Shahs pitfalls wont be just domestic but also international. One of his biggest portfolios and headaches will be Pakistan, recipient of billions in US aid, where public and political discourse is not only infected with rabid outbursts and paranoia about Indian influence in the US, but also vicious propaganda against Washington. Among the first tasks before Shah will be to overcome Pakistani neuralgia vis-a-vis US that has seen Islamabad deny visas to American aid officials, suspecting them to be spies, even though Washington has lined up $7.5 billion assistance over the next five years. In fact, the US ambassador in Islamabad, Anne Patterson, took the unusual step this week of warning Pakistan that it risked losing aid and projects with its harassment of American personnel.

While several Indian-Americans have served at the level of assistant secretary in administrations starting with president Clintons , Shah became the highest-ranked last year as under secretary of agriculture before being bumped up to USAID administrator, which is a sub-cabinet level job. In a ceremony watched by Shahs wife Shivam and his young children Sajan and Amna, Clinton had high praise for the Indian-American , saying he brings determination and an unwavering belief that anything is possible , yet he also brings the humility and quiet confidence instilled by his family .

India takes almost no US aid now, with USAID intervention of less than $100 million trending towards zero. Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are among the USAIDs biggest recipients.

(SOURCE :TOI)