Throughout his tenure as the US President, Obama emerged as a reliable friend of India. Now, all eyes are on his successor Donald Trump. It is to be seen if he will chalk out a new course or follow the earlier policies
Outgoing US President Barack Obama closed his eight years of presidency with an emotional speech last Tuesday. When he entered the 1,600 Pennsylvania Avenue as its tenant in 2009, there were high expectations from within the country and also abroad. India was no exception. Now that he has bid adieu to his presidency, his considerable legacy towards India needs to be assessed.
No doubt, India will miss Obama, who emerged as a reliable friend. “I believe the relationship between India and the US will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century,” Obama said at a joint news conference with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009.
The US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, said in Washington recently, “I think that US-India relations have been strengthened throughout these past eight years of the Obama Administration.”
The India-US relationship, which had seen highs and lows, started looking up in Bill Clinton’s first term, but it was taken forward in his second term in spite of India’s adventurous Pokhran nuclear tests.
George W Bush, recognising India’s strategic importance, went out of the way in singing the India-US nuclear deal in 2008. President Obama continued and took forward in many other areas, including strategic affairs.
In short from the days of opposing the India-US nuclear deal as a Senator, Obama saw it consummated, once he occupied the White House.
Obama’s presidency had straddled on two Indian Prime Ministers — first Manmohan Singh, and from 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Personal chemistry was good with both, although his relationship with Modi was more flamboyant with hugs and on first name basis.
This certainly worked to India’s advantage, as Obama enjoyed a good working relationship with both the Prime Ministers. To host Manmohan Singh as Obama’s first state visitor with a formal state dinner in October 2009 was seen as a deliberate signal of India’s prominence in Washington.
Modi was the fifth Indian Prime Minister to address the US Congress last year. All these were possible because Obama had inherited a bipartisan support for India. Added to that was the increasing profile of the Indian diaspora.
The dramatic shift in his foreign policy toward India — from a lukewarm hand-shake to a strong embrace — had strengthened and deepened the the bilateral ties. When Obama took over in 2009, New Delhi was apprehensive of a re-hyphenation of India and Pakistan. New Delhi was also concerned with his initial flirting with Beijing.
But this changed once he visited India in October 2010. His romance with India began soon which continued till his last day in office ending on a high note.
Obama was the only US President who visited India twice in 2010 and 2015. The frequency of high-level visits and exchanges between India and the US has gone up significantly.
Obama made the ties with India a key point of his legacy for South Asia, which have developed into a global strategic partnership. This is due to increasing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional and global issues.
Obama accorded priority for building closer strategic, security and defence ties between India and the US. India conducts more military exercise with the US than with any other country.
There is also deeper collaboration on co-production and co-development of defence equipments. India is the second largest market for US defence industry amounting to $17 billion in the past five years.
Obama openly committed the US support for India’s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council and technology control regimes like the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
On several issues, such as the rise of China, the future of Afghanistan and terrorism, New Delhi and Washington are increasingly on the same page.
They have also supported the Afghan Government and opposed the spread of the Taliban. India desires to see a continued American military presence in the country.
Much needs to be done to relax H-1B visas and double taxation. On a number of key issues, such as trade and climate change, the US and India have held opposite views.
One irritant during the Obama period was the bitter diplomatic row over Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade’s alleged exploitation of her house keeper and her arrest.
Now all eyes are on his successor Donald Trump who will take over on January 20. It is not known whether Trump would continue in the same path. It is too early to predict.
With his blunt opinions about outsourcing and immigration during the campaign, New Delhi has some genuine apprehensions. The silver lining is the growing clout of Indian diaspora which is about 3.5 million. Whether Trump would chalk out a new course or follow the Obama policies by and large, is to be seen.
(The writer is a political commentator and syndicated columnist)