Priyanka Saurabh
Joe Biden is the new President of the United States. He has defeated Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. America is the most influential country in the present world, so the change of power in America will have an impact on most of the countries of the world. India was emerging as an important ally of America for some time. Howdy Modi in the US and Namaste Trump in India were the results of close intimacy between the leaders of the two countries. In this situation, the change of power in America will also change the dimensions of India-US relations.
In his victory speech, he emphasised a message of unity and said that the time had come to ‘heal and restore the soul of America.’ I pledge to be a president who does not want to divide but wants to unite. For all of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. But now give each other a chance. Joe Biden has been in favour of the India-US strategic relationship since the time of former President Obama. However, Trump was more focused on Indo-Pacific region, where India became an important ally of the United States to stop China, and it is likely that Biden would remain an important ally. In addition, the policies of India and the United States against peacekeeping and terrorism in Afghanistan will also be implemented in the same direction.
Obama and Biden strengthened cooperation with India to fight terrorism in each of their countries and across the region. ‘Biden believes that there can be no tolerance for terrorism in South Asia.’ While he did not say much during his time in administration on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, the Indian government hopes he will carry forward the legacy of the US administration’s attitude towards India-Pakistan when it comes to cross-border terrorism. The Trump administration had unilaterally banned the nuclear deal with Iran, which was against the previous Obama administration’s decision. India’s relations with both the US and Iran are good. In such a situation, a dilemma was faced by India. It is possible that the Joe Biden administration will resolve this situation.
In the Trump administration, the US was moving away from international organisations such as the World Health Organisation, UNESCO, the Human Rights Commission. India is in favour of the importance of global institutions. In this situation, there was a reversal in the policies of India and the Trump administration. Perhaps, the United States recognised the importance of these global institutions under Joe Biden’s administration. Under Trump’s leadership, the US was disassociating itself from the Paris Climate Treaty while India is making all efforts to upgrade the environment. Under Joe Biden’s rule, it is possible that the Paris Treaty would be recognised by the USA. The Trump administration imposed restrictions on Indian goods in favour of the US in an effort to separate India from the GSP category, along with the Indo-US trade balance.
It is possible that India again joins GSP category under the Biden administration. The situation is likely to improve for non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin, who were negatively affected by Trump’s protectionist policies. Vice President Kamala Harris is also of Indian origin. The report of the American Commission on International Religious Freedom described India as a country of religious persecution, to which the Trump administration’s response was neutral, but Biden administration’s vice-president Kamala Harris made her statement against it. At the same time, the Trump administration was neutral on the subject of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, violation of democracy, Citizenship Amendment Act, caste and communal violence, while Kamala Harris reacted against India over these issues.