With the ascendance of Donald Trump as the new President of the U S A, all eyes are on what action he would take officially in the coming months. He was very much vociferous of protecting the Americans and the America from the neorich colonies which are grasping the opportunities from the citizens of the US. His inaugural itself was a reiteration of what he has been saying all along: it would be a new America where America and Americans would be protected .His own code of exclusivenss is well known and the first action of his presidency was to write off obama care-an inclusive medicare. Dealing with Trump ,a man obsessed with the rights and the privileges and the opportunities of America, India finds itself in a tight spot. Especially for Narendra Modi who had been cultivating Obama and the US with the utmost care so that india has become recipient of special US care whether it is NSG membership or care for the Tech workers from India.
India and Us has become a coherent platform for combating terror.
Would Trump dramatically alter the equation or Modi could be able to grasp the hands of Trump so easily as with Obama? Modi has been a rightwing leader like Trump and has come all the way advocating far more serious slogans during his run up to the election. Modi has cultivated the same sort of right wing aspirations as Trump has done .He was clever to fight Muslim appeasement and corruption and came down heavily on black money .He even promised to return the black money parked in the foreign lands to the citizens of India. Trumps campaign was no different .with the emphasis on his antipathy to Muslims and illegal immigrants and his over concern for the Americans who are losing jobs he has created an aura of a man standing for the ordinary citizen cornered by the powerful appeasing liberal leadership of the democrats. It would be a dramatic moment when these icons of the moment meet in the political arena.
How would they come as comrades at arms or as two leaders fighting at random?
As both the leaders have to safeguard the national interest above their known position on strategic interests , there would be more churning in their known position of thinking. The days of brinksmanship is over as far as India and US is concerned. It is now an open secret that india has been hated by the US administrators till the Indira Gandhi era. But with the coming of the unipolar world after the collapse of the USSR and the globalization embarked by India slowly and steadily india us relations has been on the rise. No body could ignore India in the new development of things as foreign direct investment to India is rising day by day. It has become a fertile field for the neo capitalists and for India it’s a new east India company without the shackles of foreign rule. India with a population triple the size of US and a middle class of the same size offer more opportunities to the American investor and manufacturers .Trump can not ignore this obvious gain.
While Us is more indebted and dependent on Chinese money and goods ,for US india is a big market growing big everyday. Compared with China its democratic and has been more or less stable politically irrespective of which government comes to power. The relationship cemented through the nuclear agreements have brought in more rewards for both the countries
More over the dependence of us for bright technocrats from India is another point which endears India .Trump himself has seen and commented on it .He is not averse to brain gain but his ire is against the illegal immigrants who are grabbing American jobs. But in the over enthusiasm exhibited by the administrators those who would lose the jobs would be more documented workers. Here Modi and Trump have to hold the hands and discuss to sort out a bloodletting.
That many of the tech companies in US have Indian CEOs which may alter the equation in India`s favour and Modi could capitalize on it.
But the real test would come on diplomatic initiatives to normalize ties after the terror attacks on September 11. India has always pleaded its case and no us realizes our issue of terrorism .Both the bush and Obama administration knew very well an India connection would be ideal to fight the terror mechanism in the east.
Narendra Modi is into his third year in his rule and not a novice to international parleys. He is a PM seriously taken by other world leaders and his voice counts in many of the diplomatic parleys. Us has many cases full whether in Iraq or Afghanisthan or Pakisthan or in the simmering Latin America. The equations they build with the china is also under threat As such Us would be forced to lend a friendly hand to Modi .
In the 21st century real politics which is controlled by extremist viewpoints it is not easy to find friends. Here strange bedfellows are the norm and India and Trump`s Us fit in the category
