What does Modi’s power show in Houston mean for Pakistan?
It seems much of the world has changed for Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, as he presents his country as a rising new power, a most populous democracy and a big market for goods and services for an expanding middle class in the US.
Less than 20 years ago, when he was Chief Minister of Gujrat state, he was denied a visa to enter the US for his alleged role in religiously motivated violence against the Muslim minority in which more than a thousand people were killed by a mob. This time, however, he received a very different welcome.
Since his rise to power, riding on a wave of Hindu nationalism, he is now warmly welcomed, courted and respected in every land he sets foot on.
His supporters are among the four million strong Indian-American community, a generally well-to-do class of professionals, and they organized a public rally in NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, with the capacity to hold 70,000 people.
Tens of thousands of Indians turned up to show support for Modi, at a time when human rights activists within India and around the world are questioning his high-handed Kashmir policies back home.
But it is clear that Modi’s human rights record is not an issue either for the middle class, successful Indians in the US nor for President Donald Trump.
In standing next to Modi, and thundering that India and the US are “grounded in common values,” Trump has his own elections in mind next year and wishes to win the support of Indian-American voters. Of course, this begs a question: is Trump’s appearance in the Indian rally enough to turn Democrat-leaning voters toward the Republican party?
For politics, optics are important in generating favorable impressions. Both Modi and Trump did remarkably well in garnering respective constituencies of support, by teaming up together, hugging, complimenting and showing mutual affection.
India, as the second most populous Asian country, rising and with great power dreams of its own, has emerged as a good candidate for the US to counter an ‘authoritarian’ China.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais
But beyond the politics of the personal, there is a new relationship shaping up between India and the US. It is strategic in nature and reflects the eagerness of the two sides to forge a multi-faceted partnership in the post-Cold War world order and salience of economic issues.
India presents a huge opportunity for the US for selling its products, investing in new ventures and enlisting India in its own camp in the Asia-Pacific region. If the partnership continues to grow, as it seems it will, it will also spin-off positive gains for Washington in its Middle East policy.
Just as a reference, Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel, and has been quite cautious in his relationship with Iran, despite the fact that India has a strong interest in Iran’s oil and market.
China, as an emerging global economic power with the potential of becoming a great military power, makes the US uneasy, suspicious and insecure about its own dominant position in the world. America is obsessed with the idea of remaining the hegemonic global power in the 21st century, as the leader of the ‘free’ world. India, as the second most populous Asian country, rising and with great power dreams of its own, has emerged as a good candidate for the US to counter an ‘authoritarian’ China.
In my view, India might act quite independently to pursue its interests to play a subservient American role or confront China when its economy is also becoming integrated with its neighbor’s to the north. Also, President Trump in his quest for making America ‘great again’ is equally sensitive to the balance of trade issue with India, which is much in favor of the latter.
He didn’t spare New Delhi in his drive to protect the American economy when he cut India off the list of developing countries that have been granted preferential trading status with the US earlier this year. He wants to export more to India and wants Modi to open up the Indian market to American goods, particularly agricultural ones. However, this is not an issue at the scale and rhetoric being used against China. It can be settled and might be done during the next few months as there is too much at stake for both.
The Modi show in Houston came at a time when Pakistan wants American and world attention to turn to the humanitarian crisis in Indian-administered Kashmir. Though Pakistan is now dismayed by Trump’s appearance at the rally, the US having a ‘great relationship’ with India doesn’t mean it does not or cannot have a great relationship with Pakistan as well. Because in a very different context — peace efforts in Afghanistan — Pakistan remains a key player for Washington.
*Rasul Bakhsh Rais is Professor of Political Science in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS, Lahore. His latest book is “Islam, Ethnicity and Power Politics: Constructing Pakistan’s National Identity” (Oxford University Press, 2017).
Twitter: @RasulRais
