India-US ties poised to climb the next level
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have had his lighter ‘rockstar moments' during his five-day visit to the United States which ended on Tuesday, but he also forcefully presented India's concerns before Washington, DC; committed to New Delhi's collaboration with the US on issues such as global terror, trade facilitation and climate change that have worried the world; and established a personal rapport with US President Barack Obama, whom he met for the first time. Signals from the joint briefing of the two leaders, the joint statement issued at the end of the summit talks and the Op-ed article jointly penned by Mr Modi and Mr Obama for a leading American daily, were all too evident: That India and the US are determined to repair the damage the relation had recently suffered, and that progress will be based on deliverables on the ground. This is quite a plateful given that nothing of significance had happened in the India-US bilateral over the last five years — indeed, the few incidents that took place had pushed relations into deep freeze. It was left to Mr Modi, therefore, to not just bring ties back on track but to also propel it to the next level. In Mr Obama, the Indian Prime Minister found a leader who understood New Delhi's apprehensions and who was sincere in strengthening genuine partnership with India. And in Mr Modi, the US President discovered a leader who called a spade a spade but who also was philosophically attracted to the US as it was his country's “natural global partner”. The good part about the meeting between the two leaders is that there was no attempt to gloss over contentious issues. While Mr Obama raised India's opposition to the trade facilitation agreement at the recently-held World Trade Organisation meeting, the Indian Prime Minister pointed to the limits in access that Washington, DC, had put on the Indian service sector workforce — especially from the information technology sector — through its restrictive visa regime. The US must have wanted India to join its campaign against the Islamic State, but New Delhi preferred instead to extend full cooperation without formally becoming part of the US-driven offensive. Yet, despite the differences in approach, the two sides were on the same page on the need to conduct themselves as all-weather friends.
With the Prime Minister's visit creating just the right environment, the next few months will determine how effectively it is encashed upon. Both the US and India have to demonstrate that things have begun moving on the ground. For instance, while the US must show flexibility in the transfer of cutting edge technology to India, especially in the defence sector, India should put in place a mechanism that does not scare away US investors. Mr Modi must have got the message by now that the one thing foreign investors fear the most is an unpredictable taxation and economic regime. Besides, there are issues of land acquisition and antiquated labour laws. If the Prime Minister is able to cut through the red tape and persuade State Governments, he can make the dream he has sold to the American people, come true. Similarly, while India should find ways to get the trade facilitation agreement going, the US has to be upfront in taking Pakistan to task on cross-border terrorism. It would be a pity to see the tremendous goodwill generated eventually go waste.