In January, 2020, India, the US, and the world, need more peace, love and healing. We need a renewal and a reawakening of our better angels. Those of us who understand this must hear the voices of King and Gandhi and step forward to “walk in the light” and to “be the change”. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, and Mahatma Gandhi died on January 30, 1948. However, there is a much more indelible connection between these two foremost practitioners of non-violence … [Read more...]
Why India should close a trade deal with the US
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States (US) in September, in which President Donald Trump made a cameo appearance at the “Howdy Modi” event in Houston, the two leaders were expected to announce a trade deal. But, the two sides could not agree on the contours of such a deal before that landmark trip ended. Media accounts suggested that, over subsequent weeks, New Delhi and Washington appeared to be near a trade deal several times. Nonetheless, as 2019 draws … [Read more...]
Why the US-China trade war has not helped India | Analysis
The long-standing trade disputes between the United States (US) and China turned into a full-blown war last year, with each country slapping tit-for-tat tariffs on goods imported from the other. Predictably, economic hostilities between the world’s two largest economies rattled global markets. However, a few countries in China’s neighbourhood saw opportunities in the trade war between the two giants, with India being one of them. Several economists and analysts predicted that India … [Read more...]
Analysis| PM Narendra Modi in the US: What are the stakes?
He will seek new economic alliances and reassure stakeholders that the slowdown in India is temporary. Later this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United States (US) to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During the trip, Modi will also visit Houston to engage the Indian diaspora and boost India’s economic ties with the US. The significance of the Houston visit has been heightened by the fact the White House has announced that US President Donald … [Read more...]
India and the US must approach the bilateral ties cautiously
Both sides must now look past Trump’s unfortunate statement and focus on addressing contentious issues. The India-United States (US) relations were thrown off course last week when President Donald Trump offered to mediate between New Delhi and Islamabad on Kashmir. Much to the bewilderment of Indian officials and South Asia watchers in Washington, the president said, at a joint White House press conference with the visiting Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan, that Prime Minister Narendra … [Read more...]
Enfranchise NRI Voters to Enhance India’s Democracy
There is a simple and straightforward solution to solve this problem. It is to reform the election law and to let the NRI’s vote from where they are. They could cast either postal votes or vote online. By May 19, close to 600 million Indians will have cast their ballots in what will be the largest electoral process in human history. More than two-thirds of the 900 million eligible voters, living across the length and breadth of the country, are expected to vote in this election. The … [Read more...]
Negotiation is the only way out of the India-US trade war
Commentators in the United States and India are beginning to call the current trade standoff between the two countries a full-blown trade war. “It’s official: India is Trump’s next target in the trade wars,” the Washington Post recently declared. What prompted the Post and other newspapers and analysts to come to that conclusion was the US announcement that it will end preferential trade treatment for thousands of Indian products guaranteed under the Generalised … [Read more...]
The economy is moving in the right trajectory
In this year’s Ease of Doing Business report, India moved up 23 positions to reach 77th — the highest the country has ever been placed in the 15-year history of the survey. India must continue its journey on that path until it ranks at or near the top of the ranked countries. “We want to make India a destination which not only welcomes business but where it is easy to do business.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi made this promise at the US India Business Council meeting on June 7, … [Read more...]
US-India trade relations: India should keep cool, keep calm, and carry on
India should ignore the US president’s rhetoric. It should continue to stay the course in its current approach to trade negotiations with the US. There is no trade war today between India and the United States. On the other hand, there is not exactly peace. In early October, President Donald Trump called India “the tariff king, bringing to the fore bilateral trade frictions that have been simmering beneath the surface for a while. They’ve already called us to make a deal,” he … [Read more...]
US mid-term polls are a referendum on Trump
Just as in the legislative arena, the party that controls Congress will have a limited impact on India. This is because President Trump’s policies on international affairs have primarily been unilateral; he consults only a small circle -- and Congress doesn’t fall in that. On November 6, the mid-term Congressional elections will be held in the United States. And because of the growing polarisation and partisanship within the country, these mid-terms will be quite important. The US Congress … [Read more...]