The Motera engagement
Modi and Trump’s speeches went beyond the transactional
As much as it is possible for two world leaders to communicate the key points of a bilateral relationship while sharing a podium in a sports stadium, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump laid out why India and the United States (US) invest so much in their relationship. Because a speech before tens of thousands must also appeal to the heart, the two went beyond just the transactional. Mr Trump raised shared values, praising India’s accomplishments and how they have been as a free society. His references to other countries’ use of “coercion and intimidation” to succeed seemed an implicit barb at China. In keeping with the political constituencies of both, there were more references to religion and spirituality than normal — and pointed references to India’s diversity.
The edgier parts of the relationship were not neglected. Mr Trump was unconventional in speaking at length about the greatness of the US defence industry and making direct references to specific arms deals. Traditionally, State visits only make elliptical references to weapons. Mr Trump has no such inhibitions, but he has helped underline how much India’s security and defence are becoming intertwined with that of the US. This is not merely about buying weapons, but the strategic understanding behind such actions. Many in India continue to have their doubts about the US, a Cold War legacy. This may have inspired the US president’s promise that America would be a “faithful and loyal friend” to the Indian people. That the Indo-Pacific made repeated appearances while Pakistan was reduced to a stray reference is a hopeful sign that security convergence, a precursor to strategic trust, continues to strengthen even under an isolationist non-Beltway president.
Mr Modi stressed how the US had become India’s primary partner in science and technology. Mr Trump did not disagree but said he still wanted his trade deal with the India, a reminder that the spectacle of Ahmedabad is not a substitute for settling an ever-increasing list of economic disputes. And while India and the US may be knowhow partners, there is a challenge in both wanting to have national champions in the digital space. Nonetheless, Motera is a reminder of the bilateral terms of endearment that overlay the larger engagement. There is no other country for whose leader India would hold such an event, and for which an Indian prime minister would lavish such rhetoric as part of its foreign policy. And, so far, no US president has flown around the world almost solely to be before such an audience. The spectacle and the sound were worth a thousand agreements.