Now that Trump has told Modi he's a 'true friend' - what does it mean for India?
By now, the images of President Donald Trump hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi have gone viral, and this time no one is complaining of Modi's hug diplomacy, which seems to have finally paid off. Both overtly expressive in their gestures, prone to superlatives, lacing their lines with many an adjective, POTUS Trump, and PM Modi, however, seemed to have finally found their soulmates in each other as they met at the White House yesterday, June 26.
There was no "My friend, Barack" moment of awkwardness, but PM Modi was showered with attention, hospitality and great show of camaraderie that have been missing from both Trump's and Modi's previous interactions with other world leaders. In fact, carrying on Trump's not-so-pretty relationship with the press, heeding the Indian demand of not taking any questions from the media was a cakewalk for the new White House administration.
Which brings us to the point in the joint statement, where Trump declared that he and Modi have both bypassed the mediators and have come out as the leaders on social media. He said it's this direct communication with the people that sets them apart and underlines the bond that they seem to share. It was evidently said in earnest.
There was enough warmth in the Modi-Trump bonhomie to melt cold, cold hearts and the gifts that were presented from Modi to Trump showed careful curation and attention to detail. A 1963 postage stamp to mark the centenary of Abraham Lincoln, handwoven Himachali shawl, Assam tea and a beautifully embellished Punjabi chest of drawers. In turn, Trump gave Modi a personal tour of the White House, showed him important corners of history which they now vow to rewrite themselves.
In the joint statement, Trump spoke first, congratulating Modi on economics, GST, growth rate and said he expects "fair and reciprocal trade". He mentioned Spice Jet ordering fleet from Boeing and said he's happy that jobs would be coming to America as India buys more. He talked of cooperation in Afghanistan, acting against North Korea and eliminating "radical Islamic terror".
As Trump saluted Modi and the Indian people, he slipped in the fact that Modi had invited Ivanka Trump to lead a US business delegation to India later this year. The involvement of Trump family, particularly his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, is a far cry from the cold and critical distance former First Lady Michelle Obama kept from Modi. Here, Modi seemed to have befriended the whole of Trump family, easily the new and most powerful political dynasty in the United States at present.
Both talked of cooperation and partnership, emphasising that in fact, India-US ties were never stronger. While this is reassuring, Trump outdoing Modi in the hugs department signalled how both of them feel distant if not isolated from Europe, and other world leaders like say, Justin Trudeau of Canada, or Emmanuel Macron of France, who do only what's absolutely required in terms of protocol and diplomatic civility.
With Modi, Trump felt genuinely desired, and vice-versa. With India being the biggest importer of arms, the military cooperation hinges more on defence deals, but it seemed a new coalition is forming with the US and India firmly on one side together. Whether they are flanked by Israel and Saudi Arabia, countries who are partnering with each other must also be taken into account.
On the other side, isolating Pakistan more in terms of action - such as by designating Syed Salahuddin, the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, who's in PoK, as a "global terrorist" - than words, speaks volumes. We see a paradigm shift in the US strategy, and it's becoming reminiscent of the George W Bush era bonhomie between Manmohan Singh and then US president.
But this means China perceives a greater threat in land and sea, as India and US pledge to keep bolstering maritime cooperation, kickstarted in the Obama era. The dismay over the US selling 22 Sea Guardian surveillance drones to India has started off an alarm bell of irked responses in Beijing, and New Delhi needs to worry if new alignments are forming faster than it would like.
Trump's insistence that he's a true friend of India is interesting, as it's binding. Does he see India as a new partner, once the way the UK was to the US? That's opening a can of worms as far as India's foreign policy independence is concerned.