As Ambassador to India, Roemer has had a wonderful stint full of achievements, but revelations of his diplomatic communications to the US government have undermined his character to a significant extent
The same was proved again when WikiLeaks revealed Roemer’s comments about Rahul Gandhi’s statements on saffron terrorism at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009. Roemer wrote about how Rahul talked about the possibility of LeT receiving local support in the country as well as on his (Rahul’s) perception of the greater threat of Hindu radicals faced by India. The cables created a huge controversy in the country.
The more vivid example was his documentation of the incident of Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah’s resignation on July 28, 2009 after he faced allegations in the Srinagar sex scandal of 2006. Opposition leaders including People’s Democratic Party’s Muzaffar Hussain Beig leveraged this embarrassing incident to the hilt. As per WikiLeaks cables, Roemer’s reporting to the US government said, “Post expects Abdullah to remain as CM, but his emotional reaction combined with prior missteps (sic) impair his ability to focus on good governance and development in J&K.” He further added his own analysis saying, “As Abdullah resumes his post as CM, he will need to resist reacting to PDP provocation and instead focus on the good governance and development pledges that got him elected.”
That all US Ambassadors are in one way or the other expected to be similar to secret agents passing on sensitive information to the US government, is now quite an accepted fact post the WikiLeaks imbroglio and the global exposing of almost all US Ambassadors. But it is clearly inappropriate to colour their communication with personal judgements and interpretations, particularly when they are backed by limited knowledge on the subject. And Roemer would have lost brownie points even in the US government due to this. But what is surprising in all is how easy it was for almost all top politicians to fall for Roemer’s advances... all, except at least one. Who, you ask? Mayawati – she refused to meet Roemer when he visited Uttar Pradesh in March 2010. Guess who’s laughing all the way to the sandal-rack.
The more vivid example was his documentation of the incident of Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah’s resignation on July 28, 2009 after he faced allegations in the Srinagar sex scandal of 2006. Opposition leaders including People’s Democratic Party’s Muzaffar Hussain Beig leveraged this embarrassing incident to the hilt. As per WikiLeaks cables, Roemer’s reporting to the US government said, “Post expects Abdullah to remain as CM, but his emotional reaction combined with prior missteps (sic) impair his ability to focus on good governance and development in J&K.” He further added his own analysis saying, “As Abdullah resumes his post as CM, he will need to resist reacting to PDP provocation and instead focus on the good governance and development pledges that got him elected.”
That all US Ambassadors are in one way or the other expected to be similar to secret agents passing on sensitive information to the US government, is now quite an accepted fact post the WikiLeaks imbroglio and the global exposing of almost all US Ambassadors. But it is clearly inappropriate to colour their communication with personal judgements and interpretations, particularly when they are backed by limited knowledge on the subject. And Roemer would have lost brownie points even in the US government due to this. But what is surprising in all is how easy it was for almost all top politicians to fall for Roemer’s advances... all, except at least one. Who, you ask? Mayawati – she refused to meet Roemer when he visited Uttar Pradesh in March 2010. Guess who’s laughing all the way to the sandal-rack.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
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An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM B-School Detail
