Does it matter to India who the new US President will be?

 

US Presidential Election 2020: Does it matter to India who the new US President will be?

The White House citizenship ceremony was attended by five new Americans, but one in particular was the focus of attention, and it was Sadha Sundari, a software developer from India, wearing a pink saree and a smile on her face. , Proudly showing her citizenship certificate.

The event, which was broadcast live during the Republican National Convention on August 25, was widely criticized as a political stunt in the United States, but the Indian media proudly described it as an extraordinary event. Welcomed an Indian as a new citizen.

US immigration policy is important to India and its citizens. India has a track record of sending talented people to the United States in the field of technology. Such people come to the United States on H-1B visas and can later become US citizens.

Indian Americans would be deeply moved by President Trump's acknowledgment of this prominence, and the event would also be a goodwill gesture for Indian-Americans who have traditionally supported Democrats.

President Trump's symbolic move certainly strengthened goodwill, and it comes at a time when relations between the two countries are deepening.

China and Ladakh

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The United States has a very clear position on where it can help. India is embroiled in a regional dispute with China in the northern Himalayan region of Ladakh.

Since April, India and China have deployed more than 50,000 troops in the region, and in some places the distance between the two forces is less than 200 meters. Security experts fear that even the smallest unintentional breach of discipline could lead to a major military confrontation.

Clashes between Indian and Chinese forces in Ladakh in June have escalated tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The United States has repeatedly offered to help India in this dispute.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier this month that "they (India) need to make the United States its ally and partner in this fight."

Recent clashes in Ladakh between Indian and Chinese forces have raised tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Some Indian diplomats agree that India needs the United States to put pressure on China to evacuate the allegedly occupied territories, as well as to include India in other regional countries. Need

India and the United States have formed a group called Quad, along with Japan and Australia, which met in Tokyo in early October to discuss security issues. The meeting focused on the issue of China's response, which is expanding its influence.

It is thought that the United States wants to turn this grouping into a NATO-like alliance.

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Deepening relationships

Such an idea certainly fits the strong ties that have developed between the two countries over the past 20 years. Traditionally, India preferred to remain neutral rather than ally with the Soviet Union or the United States, and this was India's policy during the Cold War and the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, but 21st century geopolitics has made India a foreign point of view. The look has been reshaped.

In 2000, US President Bill Clinton made a historic visit to India and tried to persuade India to become an ally of the United States. The six-day visit was seen as a turning point in US-India relations.

US President Bill Clinton shakes hands with then Indian President KR Narayan during his visit to India in 2000. Bill Clinton was the first US president to visit India in almost a quarter of a century

The signing of the nuclear deal during President George W. Bush's visit deepened the strategic relationship, and President Barack Obama also paid two visits to India.

This year, President Donald Trump attended a large rally in a crowded stadium in Gujarat on February 25, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his honor, where President Trump announced that "these (bilateral relations) "They have never been as good as they are now."

But India seems reluctant to accept the offer of help from the United States.

Hesitation

There can be many reasons for India's reluctance.

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Dr Natasha Cole, an associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Westminster in London, is skeptical of the US commitment.

He told the BBC: "The Trump administration's rhetoric is not so important when US foreign policy is moving in the opposite direction and Trump is reducing US responsibilities globally."

The offer of assistance and mediation from the United States is irrelevant at a time when China is a staunch opponent and India has expressed its displeasure.

Dr. Cole says that even if the offer of assistance is genuine, it is difficult to explain how the United States can help Ladakh.

"The United States can only participate as much as possible in areas such as military intelligence (which will be limited), weapons and training," she said. At the same time, the United States is sending symbolic messages to China to avoid rising tensions.

Even if the offer of assistance is genuine and meaningful, the United States has a problem with public relations with the Indian people.

The United States has been a close ally of Pakistan for decades, which means that many sections of Indian society are struggling to regard it as a reliable friend.

Professor Ashok Swain, a professor at Sweden's Uppsala University, warned India against trusting the United States, saying "the United States has never been a reliable ally and this has become clearer under Trump." Is. The US card will not work for India in dealing with a power like China.

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Bilateral cooperation

The relationship between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump is full of pleasantries and personal chemistry, but diplomats question what has been done to strengthen the relationship.

Former Indian diplomat Neelam Dev, who has twice served in the United States, told the BBC: "We are making good progress under President Trump. There is a great chemistry between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump but this progress is slow and we want to accelerate it.

India has so far been very cautious about accepting or rejecting the offer of assistance from the United States.

Professor Swain says India will wait to see what happens in the November 3 elections. But diplomats say there won't be much change, even if someone else enters the White House.

President Trump and the Democratic Party's Joe Biden differ on their policies on almost every issue except India. Former Indian diplomats say US policy on India has mutual support in Washington.

According to Neelam Dev, this is not the first time that both the parties have been in a P position on the issue of India. US Presidents have been coming to India since President Clinton. President Obama has visited India twice. Therefore, progress has been made under the presidents of both the parties.

So it seems that even after the elections, the US will continue to offer its support to India against China, but it is not certain how India will respond.