There are two main reasons for this trip:
1) The U.S. Nuclear industry sees $100 billion market in building nuclear power plants for India to satisfy the Indian economy's energy needs.
2) In order to totally isolate Iran in the security council, the U.S. needs to convince India that it should back off of dealing with Iran in its gas pipeline deal.

They are offering India a carrot so that India will then allow us to beat Iran with a stick.

Marketplace has a great summary of the stakes.

... the U.S. needs to convince India that it should back off of dealing with Iran in its gas pipeline deal.

Not a very good strategy: Iran would have many alternate buyers for its oil.

... China, a critical part of any U.N. effort because of its permanent seat on the Security Council, is a voracious oil importer. It recently negotiated a huge, multiyear oil import program with Iran. [Link]

Not a very good strategy: Iran would have many alternate buyers for its oil.

No, I mean I think the U.S. will seek to embargo Iranian oil through the U.N. That is why they need India's cooperation. It is true that China might veto still.

1) The U.S. Nuclear industry sees $100 billion market in building nuclear power plants for India to satisfy the Indian economy's energy needs.

It comes during the signing of the mega Boeing deal. India, for a change, has serious buying power. Should the US not come through with its "carrots", India should play the American Way: Roll back, re-negotiate, rescind.

The 34-year-old Jindal, whose parents migrated from Punjab and who narrowly lost the 2003 gubernatorial race in Louisiana, was seen explaining the finer points of Indian culture to his US Congress colleagues.

What a joke. Stick to Jesus, Bobby.

Abhi,

Even Russia will veto it because they sells quite a bit of hardware to Iran. France wants to get back in oil politics too. They had pulled largely themselves out in 80s (because of fierce booms and busts) and now, they want in in - Iran is an excellent entry point to them.

Remember, Iran has the second largest gas reserves. With the advent of LNG (liquefied Natrual Gas) infrastructure on the horizon, their role through natural gas will increase in energy equation.

Russia has the largest gas reserves - You have just noticed their flexing muscles (behaving badly) in last few weeks (Ukraine).

I had some McKinsey reports on India and China energy needs (they were free, public access for a while and anyone can have them). I might blog about it soon.

PS: Three of my immediate family members are nuclear scientists. But a question - has India figured out a constant supply of uranium yet if it wants to move in that direction. Uranium rich countries in Africa are not beacon of stability either.

China, a critical part of any U.N. effort because of its permanent seat on the Security Council, is a voracious oil importer.

And now India and China seem to be negotiating an oil deal:

India, China opt to co-operate on oil

Richard McGregor, Beijin and Jo Johnson, New Delhi
January 14, 2006

CHINA and India, the world's two fastest growing energy consumers, have set aside long-standing rivalries and agreed to co-operate in securing crude oil resources overseas.

The agreement, aimed at preventing the two nations' competition for oil assets pushing up prices, symbolises their increasingly assertive role in global energy politics.

In an age of growing energy insecurity "it makes sense for India and China to co-operate (rather) than compete ... the time of access to easy oil is in the past", said Jim Steenhagen, managing director at US consultancy firm PFC Energy.

The agreement came as fears surface over a serious threat to oil supplies from Iran. Prices rose above $US65 ($86) a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as Tehran's nuclear ambitions threatened instability at the centre of the world's main oil-producing region.

India, China opt to co-operate on oil

Not a very good strategy: Iran would have many alternate buyers for its oil.

"We believe that Iran matters more than is currently priced in, and that Iran's external relations remain the key wild card," Barclays Capital's Paul Horsnell wrote in a research note. "We continue to see Iran as representing a severe upside risk for [oil] prices this year." [Link]

I bet there will be a "war to spread freedom" in Iran before Dubya's current term expires.

The 34-year-old Jindal, whose parents migrated from Punjab and who narrowly lost the 2003 gubernatorial race in Louisiana, was seen explaining the finer points of Indian culture to his US Congress colleagues.
What a joke. Stick to Jesus, Bobby.

Come on now. I don't see why he can't have Jesus and know the "finer points of Indian culture".

So according to rumors in the desi community of New Orleans Piyush "Bobby" Jindal was involved in an incident which I like to call "Pujagate". Supposedly, early in his career he attended a puja at a temple in New Orleans and refused to remove his shoes. There is also a rumor that he asked Desis at his innauguration party to wear western clothes. I'm not sure if any of this is true, these are just often repeated rumors among desis in new orleans. I'm sure Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is quite capable of explaining the finer points of Indian culture. Whether he is the best person to do it, probably not. I don't really care, I wouldn't like him even if he was oozing desi pride.

About the whole India-Iran-US thing here is a must read interview from one Dr. Arjun Makhijani, where he is saying that India should chose Iran not US.

Dr Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and one of the leading technical nuclear experts in the United States, believes that even if India gets everything it wants under the US-India civilian nuclear agreement signed by President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 18, it would still be only a tiny fraction of the oil and gas it could obtain from Iran to meet India's growing energy needs.

The whole "Bobby's a Christian and therefore he's not legitimately Indian" thing is so painfully ridiculous. Especially with such a long, long list of legitimate and civil ways to criticize him, why do people insist upon descending to this level?

I don't really know how much I care if he knows the "finer points of Indian culture." Of course, if he claims to be doing so while simply making it up or spewing orientalist nonsense, then that's a separate issue. For whatever they may be worth, though, here are a couple of glimpses at the Inner World of Bobby Jindal when it comes to said finer points, straight from his own mouth:

Jindal said he didn't think a lot about his own race while growing up in Baton Rouge. [link]

But at the same time:

Immigrants have to adjust to America and become a part of it. But what are aspects of your culture or your roots that you have retained or are precious to you?

Every family makes those decisions and obviously there’s no one right answer. Families make different decisions on language and food and things, and I think that’s a very personal decision and it’s unique to each family.

I’m married to an Indian American woman whose parents came over about the time mine did and so our heritage is certainly an important part of how we are raising our children and forming our family. But again, I suspect every family will have a different answer to that question and that’s normal, that’s the way it should be. Certainly in our own family even there there’s a wide range of things. My mother-in-law certainly watches Indian movies and listens to Indian music. So I think there is a wide range of applications.

* * *

Your parents must be Hindu. Were they very religious Hindus who went to the temple regularly? And how did they take your conversion to Christianity?

My parents are still Hindu. There was not a temple in Baton Rouge when I was growing up; there are now, two, maybe even three. They went to pujas fairly regularly. They tended to be in people’s homes as opposed to in a formal temple.

But you felt the Christian faith answered the questions you had basically?

Yes, yes. My parents were very supportive. They felt like it was important that I was embracing God. I think it would have been harder for them if I had come home and said I did not believe in God. They’ve always believed in God so I think it was just important for them that I continue to believe in God and pray to God. [link]

So who knows -- for all we know, Bobby was enlightening his colleagues about the Inner World of Shahrukh Khan based on what he's learned from his mother-in-law.

I used to live in Baton Rouge and maybe, I should call some of my old teachers (of various ethncities) there and find out about him. I think quite a few had their kids in school with him. Most of them are very critical of him regarding his politics and style- However, I never talked about personal details and they might shy from it.

I have also met some of his supporters from Louisiana - They were/ are keen on him regarding his social issue stances. They had very vague/ no ideas of his ethinicity (the ones I talked to). I had to tell them that he was of Indian origin.

I cannot attribute this to any specific source but I think I have heard for many years his biggest project was "unIndian" he was. Sure, he can do that. But it seems hilarious to be now the teacher of Indian finer points now to the American power structure, hey, maybe, i am being envious. Again, some people have it all.

I have never had problem with his personal beliefs but do have a problem with his "carpetbagger" attitude.

Proof Positive:

I can't tell you how to be Asian American," Jindal said

Thanks, AK (Comment #.13)

For those of you who think bj didn’t converted for political gain because he would have then become a Protestant rather than a Catholic, consider this:

He had a choice –
1) become a P. which requires Sunday school, Sunday services (together takes up much of the day & possible evening) & also Wed. night. To be a really good P. add in prayer meetings & sitting on church committees & donating money NOT anonomously.

OR...

2) become a C. & spend 1 hour at Sun. Mass & if you miss a Sun., no one will notice in a big church the size of the ones in Baton Rouge.

Go figure!