Nicholas Burns seeks lowering of barriers for H-1B visas

NEW DELHI : Democracies like India and the US go through “painful” episodes, such as the recent protests in the US, but resolve issues through free and fair elections, former US secretary of state Nicholas Burns said, adding that democracies have an advantage over authoritarian regimes like China and Russia.

Burns, now a professor of practice of diplomacy and international politics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, also said that the Indian American community was a “profound bridge” between the two countries, and sought reduction of barriers between India and the US on the movement of people, especially under the H-1B visa system preferred by Indian information technology (IT) software experts and other professionals. He described the Indian American community as the “secret weapon in the relationship” between India and the US.