Modi Addressed the US Congress

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi addressed the joint session of the US Congress last week. It was Modi’s fourth visit to the US and his second bilateral visit after being the PM. Modi had developed a personal rapport with Obama, who became the first US President to visit India twice while in office. Their chae pe charcha in New Delhi in 2015 was covered widely by the media. 

Modi talked about the commonality between the two countries. While the US is the oldest democracy, India is the largest. Both are diverse countries. Both have stakes in a world free from terrorism and religious extremism. Perhaps unlike his predecessors, Modi is keen to display India’s soft power, and also use it as a leverage to promote India's interests. While addressing the Congress, Modi pointed out how Yoga is practiced by 30 million people in the USA, but India, where it originated, did not patent it! He also mentioned the historical connections between the two countries. Swami Vivekananda came to Chicago in 1893 to deliver the historic speech at the World Parliament of Religions. The relatively unknown Swami became world famous after Chicago. It is said that one of the great contributions of the US to India was Swami Vivekananda. Modi also mentioned B. R. Ambedkar, who studied at Columbia University, and how he was influenced by the US constitution, and applied it to the Indian situation as the Chair of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution. The US also played a role in the Indian independence. Some of the Indian freedom fighters were based in the USA, and some of the US leaders were sympathetic to Indian freedom struggle. Modi also mentioned how Martin Luther King. Jr was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. He struck an emotional chord with the Indian diaspora by arguing how the demography played a key role in the growth of the US, and how the Indian-American teenagers were winning spelling bee competition.

The speech received mixed reviews, some terming it full of ‘cliché,’ some terming it marking the dawn of a new era, and others maintaining a middle position. The strategic commentators differ on the actual depth of the relationship, and also on the actual outcome. Some of them argue that the US still hesitates to consider India as an equal partner, and they refer to defense talks and outcomes and argue that the US wants to use India to fulfil its objectives in countering China and strengthen its strategic position in the Asia-Pacific. Some others argue that the two countries have come out of their ‘history of hesitation’ and become ‘natural allies’. They point out that the US is one of the largest trading partners of India, and there is a growing defense partnership between the two countries. Some of them also refer to the Indian diaspora in the US and their bridge-building role.

I do not agree that Modi's speech was replete with cliché. Without commitment to shared goals, it is difficult to build strong relations. Democratic polity and liberal values of the two countries inspired many countries, and still inspire many others. Though during the Cold War the relations were marked by hostility due to ideological differences, the post-Cold War era witnessed growth in the relations. To forge a strong relationship, both India and the US need to come forward and shed old differences and approaches. The US needs to address India’s concerns on the issue of terrorism from India’s neighbourhood, or on sharing of defense technology, dispelling Indian concerns on stability in Eurasia and other areas. India also needs to be pro-active, and be more willing to play leadership role in troubled regions of the world, and address the US concerns. There are immense potentials for India-US cooperation. The major areas include strategic cooperation; energy and climate change, education and development; economy, trade and agriculture; science and technology; and health and innovation. As Asia-Pacific is becoming increasingly unstable, both can jointly play a role to make it stable by collaborating with the neighboring countries. 

The invitation to Modi to address the Congress was a reflection of the US seriousness to engage India. Modi’s words reflected India’s seriousness to do business with the US. With the baggage of hesitation and misunderstanding going away, both the countries are set to realize common goals. There is nothing to lose, but to gain, from the cooperation. The cost of non-cooperation are certainly high than the cost of cooperation. The leadership of both the countries appear to realize this. A lot will depend on how the next US government views India. I hope, whichever party wins the next elections, the drivers guiding the relations remain the same, if not change for better.