In the midst of the rancor that passes for political debate these days, Indian Prime Minister Modi is paying a state visit to the United States this week. He will address a Joint Session of Congress during the day on Thursday of this week, and will attend a state dinner in his honor at the White House. Modi is the 14th Indian Prime Minister since 1947; his predecessors include towering figures like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
This is an example of realpolitik (ray-al poh-li-teek) first enunciated in Germany in the 19th century and most famously (in the United States) emphasized by Henry Kissinger in the 1960s and 1970s. This philosophy of foreign relations is essentially grounded in realism – a belief that have to deal with the world as we find it, not as we wish it to be. This means hosting the leader of India, the world’s largest democracy, despite his abysmal record on human rights.
From the US perspective, the purpose of this visit is to draw India more firmly into Washington’s diplomatic and military orbit. The biggest hurdle in that regard is India’s relationship with Russia – including Russia’s willingness to sell oil to India at a significant discount and India’s reliance on Russia for military weaponry and other support. According to today’s Washington Post:
Pulling down hurdles to tech and defense collaboration to ensure India can compete with China’s military modernization is a central theme of Modi’s visit. The United States is also keen to rebalance semiconductor supply chains away from China. Biden administration officials stress the strategic role India can play as a critical economic and military partner in the Indo-Pacific and bulwark against China.
In a related story, today’s Wall Street Journal reports the following:
India’s purchase of state-of-the-art U.S. drones and the joint production of jet-fighter engines is expected to be unveiled today in a bid to wean New Delhi off arms purchases from Russia.
Democracy in India is a relatively new phenomenon; the subcontinent was granted independence from Great Britain only in 1947. Prior to that, India was governed for almost 100 years by The Raj, or almost a century of British rule over India. The Raj encompasses a complicated series of events and actors, but suffice it to say that the purpose of The Raj from Britain’s point of view was economic well-being for Britain, not necessarily for India. The fragile democracy created in 1947 has endured, albeit with significant challenges to a nation whose political culture did not arrive at democracy through any kind of gradual or evolutionary process.
Without going into a lot of history, understanding India requires some knowledge of the partition between India and Pakistan that was part of the independence agreement, and the subsequent separatist movement by which East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1972 after a horrific genocide that accompanied its efforts to separate from West Pakistan. In case you have forgotten about this, here’s a Joan Baez song that reflects this tragedy.
Hundreds of Indian-Americans took part in a unity march at Washington DC to welcome the Prime Minister on Sunday. Related marches were organized in 20 major cities across the US wherein Indian-Americans chanted 'Modi Modi,' 'Vande Mataram', and 'Vande America'. The participants were also seen dancing to the tunes of the song 'Har Har Modi', reported ANI. The unity marches were held near the National Monument in Washington DC, Times Square in New York, and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
On Wednesday, Modi participated in International Day of Yoga celebrations at the UN Secretariat on Wednesday, where he was joined by several high-profile individuals.
A total of 75 Democratic senators and members of the House or Representatives signed a letter that was sent to the White House on Tuesday, asking that the President discuss growing human rights issues in India, including the deteriorating human rights situation under Bodhi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Here’s part of what the letter said:
A series of independent, credible reports reflect troubling signs in India toward the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby declined to comment directly on whether President Biden would raise the issue, but noted that it is “commonplace” for Biden to raise concerns about human rights.
State visits are highly orchestrated affairs. The guest list is highly curated to include both supporters and critics of the administration, along with a range of government officials whose interests touch those of the visiting dignitary. The list is not yet public, but it is expected to include the five Indian American members of the House of Representatives – Amy Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Shri Thanedar – as well as some of the top Indian American CEOs, including Satya Nadella from Microsoft, Sunder Pichai from Google, Raj Subramanian from FedEx. Several eminent Indian American serving in the Biden Administration like Neera Tanden, Dr Vivek Murthy, and Dr Rahul Gupta are also expected to be in attendance. The guest list is always spiced up by the inclusion of celebrities who bring a touch of glamour and excitement to what might otherwise be a fairly staid event. The evening is capped off with entertainment that the White House thinks will be enjoyed by the visiting dignitary and the guests.
The menu for a White House state dinner combines a desire to cater to the needs of visitors with a desire to highlight American cuisine. Because Modi is a strict Hindu who follows a vegetarian diet, the meal tonight will be vegetarian. The first course will be a grilled corn kernel salad with a “tangy avocado sauce;” the main course will include portobello mushrooms and a saffron-infused risotto, and dessert will be a rose and cardamom-infused strawberry shortcake. The meal will be served in a pavilion set up on the South Lawn at the White House.
Entertainment for the evening will include American violinist Joshua Bell and Penn Masala, a South Asian a capella group from the University of Pennsylvania. Decor will feature elements from American and Indian culture, including imagery of the peacock and the bald eagle, the Indian and U.S. national birds, respectively. The tables will be adorned with lotus blooms, revered in Indian design and a symbol of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
This event plays to President Biden’s strong suit: quietly getting the job done despite the controversies swirling around him. As the saying goes, this is not his first rodeo. He is not worried about tomorrow’s headlines; instead, he is focused on what will be good for the United States long after he is gone.
An excellent synopsis, Karen. According to CNN reports, President Biden made a few trade-offs and Prime Minister Modi stepped out of his comfort zone. Both leaders spoke of shared values and a commitment to democracy. 🙏
I’ve been told by many Indians that I look like Modi, particularly before he got hair transplants!