So why did Tellis abandon ship? Those in the loop say he might be the latest case of "Blackwill burnout"—a peculiar disease known to strike some who serve under Robert Blackwill. The same Blackwill who bid an emotional goodbye to Mother India in June as US ambassador to take a White House post designed specially for him. Tellis, as his New Delhi advisor and assistant, followed Blackwill to the National Security Council, the duo catapulting into high gear to contain the speedy chaos of Afghanistan and Iraq. Even though Tellis was a Blackwill veteran, having "survived" him for two years in the New Delhi office, this time apparently the stress levels zoomed right off the charts. The nsc hours—basically endless—in addition to a demanding boss proved a bit too much for the Goan. Whispers of "health problems" were heard. The easy-going Tellis was handpicked by Blackwill from the rather calmer climes of California’s Rand Corporation.
Finding a job won’t be hard for Tellis whose hefty resume now includes White House experience. He is expected to join a Washington-based foreign policy think tank and resume normal pace. As for the subcontinental presence in the White House—it’s now in favour of Pakistani Americans. Shirin Tahir-Kheli and Adnan Kifayat are firmly in their seats, managing human rights and Near East policy respectively.
