PM’s US visit: Lots of smiles and guffaws, gifts & deal seals…interests or values!

 

Now as the dust has settled over Prime Minister Modi’s US visit, my two bit to it. A visit that ticked all the boxes for its grandeur, its diplomacy, its messaging, its warmth, the deliverables, the leaders outreach and the optics. A State visit, an address to the US Congress, a personal dinner and all the other high level engagements including meeting the top corporates of the US, were all by no means a small thing that the US State went out of its way to do for the Indian PM. There were exceptions that the US does not do often. Historic deals were struck which will go a long way to shape India’s progress in the field of technology, defense and manufacture mainly. A GE-HAL tech transfer to manufacture fighter jet engines and the multi billion Predator Drone deal were a huge jump for India’s tech driven security apparatus much bolstered by the China factor. Semiconductors and space technology is an opportunity for India to develop a defense industry of its own as also improving its technological competence.

The significance of the agreements are huge also considering the reality of Russia Ukraine war which has put India in a tight spot for want of arms and its ancillaries that we buy from Russia traditionally as also in terms of supply chains. Buying of cheap oil from Russia is a sore point for the US which it would be more than happy to see discontinued but for India’s assertion of its strategic autonomy and uncompromised national preferences.   

Ridding on the stilts of shared interests as juxtaposed to values (the much touted narrative during Modi’s US visit) the exceptionism of the most powerful country is neither new nor without reasons. The foundational pillars laid by former Prime Ministers Bajpai and Manmohan Singh had a boosting effect for Modi Biden no stop bonhomie.

A leap for sure for US India relations, India offers a plethora of opportunities for the US. If both need each other the pendulum tilts more towards the need of US. A big market, a rising economy aspiring to be the third largest in the world, rising Indo Pacific power, geographically strategically located and a counter to China…India provides a perfect recipe for US interests in the region. All the top businesses rearing to come and open shop in India for its cheap labour, opening up business environment in the shape of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, investment seeking and a huge young English speaking workforce along with demography. Should we call it win win for both countries!

Many espouse that the US needs India more than India needs US. This visit by the Prime minister was a bag full of money for US. As the opposition Congress scrapped the surface, the drone deal was much above the price for a fair deal. A $3 billion (Rs 25,000 crore) for 31 drones was a four times price paid by India and as revealed in the Parliament earlier, without technology transfer, and the absence of CCS on board. Meaning thereby a $110 million per drone. To decode the deal as per the shooter, US purchases drones from private companies at market price which then are purchased by the US Air Force, in this case for $56.5 million per drone. Other country which bought MQ9B drones from GE was UK at $200 million for 16 drones. Which meant the UK paid $12.5 million per drone. Australia bought 12 for $1.65 million ie $130 million per drone but cancelled the deal later for being too expensive. Similarly Spain, Taiwan & Italy too bought them. 

A June 2020 report in Hindustan Times says, ‘India rethinks buying US armed drones’ as the IAF raised concerns about an armed drone surviving in a contested air space like PoK or along the LAC. The U.S.News in an October 2020 report said, ‘India resists US pressure to buy armed drones as Trump looks for foreign policy ‘wins’. Another report in IMR says, ‘Armed Forces pare down their Predator drone requirement to 18 from 30’, after conducting detailed operations research system analysis. A twitterate jested, ‘This could possibly be the most expensive state dinner in history’.

India’s democratic record along with press freedom and minority discrimination question asked by a WSJ journalist ruffled a huge hue and cry on social media. It was a natural question that would have been anyways asked as journalists are meant to be asking questions to any visiting leader on the occasion of a press conference. Just two questions permitted itself pointed to the discomfort of the leaders to take questions. No democracy’s record may be perfect but the leader of the biggest democracy is ideally accountable to the people. And what about back home! A state is burning with more than 130 dead, houses and property being destroyed, shelter homes packed. Sorry, elections are not the only time to be at the doorsteps. 

Nevertheless US India relations has cemented more firmly with this visit. We also seem to be going in the right direction in this polarized world…seeing our national interests. Foreign policy is one sphere which has seen the most positive of actions in the past few years. But Mr Prime Minister, don’t just keep your smiles, jokes and banters limited for foreign lands. The people who have voted you to power too deserve your smiles more often, at the least.    

Tags: #IndiaUSrelations #GEHALdeal #MQ9BDrones #PMModiUSvisit #BloggerPriti