Experts to debate the rise of India and China and the US foreign policy response at Rice’s Baker Institute Dec. 13

Two experts will challenge conventional views on the roles of India and China in the Asian power structure and the implications for U.S. foreign policy Dec. 13 at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

RAND Corp. senior political scientist Eric Heginbotham and author and independent consultant Rollie Lal will discuss “Counterweights or Double Trouble? How the Rise of India and China Will Affect U.S. Foreign Policy” at 6 p.m. in Baker Hall’s Kelly International Conference Facility. Russell Green, the Baker Institute’s Will Clayton Fellow in International Economics, and Steven Lewis, the Baker Institute’s C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow, will moderate the discussion.

To U.S. policymakers worried about a long-term threat from China, India looks like a useful counterbalance. Last June, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described military cooperation with India as the linchpin of the recent U.S. foreign policy pivot toward Asia. But is India the reliable partner and like-minded custodian of Asian stability that the U.S. foreign policy establishment assumes? In answering this question, Heginbotham and Lal will debate the role of India and China in the U.S. rebalancing strategy. The event is co-sponsored by the Baker Institute Transnational China Project and International Economics Program.

To view more info about the event, visit www.bakerinstitute.org/events/counterweights-or-double-trouble-how-the-rise-of-india-and-china-will-affect-u.s.-foreign-policy. A live webcast will be available at http://bakerinstitute.org/webcasts.