A glitzy visit to Washington by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that came to a close Friday was a reminder that when strategic interests align, U.S. leaders can find ways to minimize differences on human rights and democratic values, even for a nation where minority groups say they find themselves increasingly embattled under Hindu nationalist rule.
There were days of ovations in Congress and backslapping meetings with President Biden. A White House celebration surrounded by 7,000 adoring supporters who dwarfed the dissenters. And on Friday, speeches to business titans who want to make money in the world’s most populous nation.
After a trip for which U.S. leaders largely set aside criticism in pursuit of a partnership against China, Modi may be emboldened to take a tougher stand at home that could eventually undermine the country’s stability and backfire on the White House, analysts said. But for now, Modi’s wager appears to be that so long as Washington needs India for its core foreign policy interests, he can still earn invitations stamped with a golden U.S. seal.
“The state visit confirms for India that illiberal or anti-democratic moves won’t in the near term change the strategic partnership,” said Tamanna Salikuddin, a former State Department official who directs South Asia programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace. “The U.S. has a high tolerance for illiberalism when we want to.”
Modi on Friday capped his U.S. visit by meeting with a crowd of supportive leaders from the large Indian American diaspora, many of whom cheered what they said was Modi’s pursuit of placing India in the top tier of nations. They outnumbered others who bitterly complained that Washington — and much of the diaspora community in the United States — was turning a blind eye to violence and repression against India’s large non-Hindu population.
Administration officials said they delivered their concerns about the rights of Muslims and other minority groups, but quietly. The louder messages underscored Washington’s need for a strong partner in New Delhi at a time when the United States has entered a swaggering competition with Beijing for control over the architecture of global trade and security.
The strategy carries some risks, analysts say, amid what the State Department has said is worsening sectarian violence in India and increased pressure on journalists and Modi’s political opposition. Violence between ethnic groups — one largely Hindu, one largely Christian — in the northeast state of Manipur has claimed more than 100 lives since May and led to the deployment of the Indian military to quell clashes not far from the border with China. Elsewhere, political opponents — including the leader of the main opposition party — have faced charges for defaming Modi.
“What we don’t want is that these issues blow up and they are so distracted, so internally focused, that they aren’t able to focus on China, aren’t able to focus on other issues,” Salikuddin said.
“But I don’t think that’s the case yet,” she continued. “They are confronting China in such a direct and open way that it would take a lot to pull them off that border.”
The balance between values and interests isn’t always easy, and Biden isn’t the first to confront the challenge. Whoever occupies the White House has “a lot of equities” to protect, former president Barack Obama told CNN in an interview that aired Thursday, and he noted that when he was in office, he dealt with allies who, “if you pressed me in private, do they run their governments and their political parties in ways that I would say are ideally democratic? I’d have to say no.”
Obama said safeguarding minority rights in India is important to raise, in part as a question of ensuring the stability of the country.
“If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi,” he said, “part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility India at some point starts pulling apart. And we’ve seen what happens when you start getting those kinds of large internal conflicts.”
For now, the Biden administration has downplayed divisions with India, prioritizing ties to push back China even over other core U.S. focuses. The administration has encouraged partner countries to reduce their trade with Russia, for instance, but a senior State Department official claimed ahead of the visit that India’s growing purchases of Russian oil in fact further American interests, even though they deliver money to the Kremlin’s war chest.
“India will make its own decisions about whether it purchases oil from Russia,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal considerations.
“We hope that India will continue to use the G-7 oil price cap to leverage lower costs for the Russian oil that it purchases,” the official said, referring to an effort by major world economies to sanction the sale of Russian oil above a set price. “That’s in the interest of all of us that it buys Russian crude at rock-bottom prices.”
“Our partnership between India and the United States will go a long way, in my view, to define what the 21st century looks like,” Biden said Friday at a meeting with Modi and top U.S. and Indian business leaders.
“Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values,” Modi said a day earlier in a speech to a joint session of Congress that was regularly punctuated by cheers and chants of “Modi! Modi!” by his fans in the viewing gallery of the chamber.
Some representatives of India’s large diaspora community in the United States said they were delighted by the muscular reception.
“This is a visit that says India has arrived. India is being treated as an equal,” said Amitabh VW Mittal, general secretary of the U.S. Indian Community Foundation, the group that hosted the diaspora event Friday. Mittal said he attended the congressional address and was astounded by the standing ovations.
He was dismissive of criticism of Modi’s human rights record.
“We have greater strife in the United States. We have greater strife in other countries,” Mittal said.
The generally welcoming response sparked frustration, though, among Indian American human rights advocates who said Modi was hollowing out his nation’s long tradition as a squabbling, multiethnic, secular democracy. And some human rights advocates said he was using the embrace by the leader of the free world to burnish his credentials in advance of an election in India next year — to “whitewash” his persecution of minorities, Arjun Sethi, a human rights lawyer, said.
Modi was denied a U.S. visa for his alleged involvement in 2002 riots in his home state of Gujarat, which killed at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. And since Modi became prime minister in 2014, Muslim, Christian and Sikh minorities have faced persecution, according to State Department human rights reports.
“It’s as though there are two realities,” said Sunita Viswanath, a co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, a group that advocates for minority rights in India and helped organize protests in New York and Washington to coincide with Modi’s visit.
“It’s a willful closing of our collective eye to a march to a far-right-wing drumbeat of the largest so-called democracy in the world toward becoming a theocracy,” Viswanath, who is Indian American, said.
She said the Modi visit was being closely tracked in diaspora communities around the world, who stay connected through the WhatsApp and Signal chat apps. But she said that in her activism work, she is sometimes frustrated with fellow Americans who have roots in India.
“It’s a lonely job in a diasporic community that is just mesmerized with stepping into power and privilege,” she said.
India has not chosen sides between the West and Russia, and hasn’t suffered for it, said Joshua T. White, a professor of practice at Johns Hopkins University and a senior adviser and director for South Asian affairs at the National Security Council during the Obama administration.
“They feel they are a desirable partner for many countries and therefore don’t really have to engage on human rights issues,” he said. “If anything, the Biden administration’s extremely lofty rhetoric about the relationship plays into this senseGlitzy Visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington Highlights Strategic Partnership with US
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, which concluded on Friday, showcased the strong strategic partnership between India and the United States. The visit emphasized the alignment of strategic interests between the two nations, with US leaders willing to overlook differences on human rights and democratic values. However, critics argue that this approach may embolden Modi to take a tougher stance at home, potentially undermining India’s stability in the long run.
During his visit, Modi received ovations in Congress, held backslapping meetings with President Biden, and attended a White House celebration with thousands of supporters. He also delivered speeches to business leaders interested in investing in India. The warm reception from US leaders and the Indian American diaspora community demonstrated the importance of India as a partner in countering China’s influence.
While the Biden administration quietly raised concerns about human rights and minority rights in India, the focus was primarily on strengthening the partnership against China. This approach carries some risks, as sectarian violence and repression against minority groups continue to escalate in India. The deployment of the Indian military to quell clashes between ethnic groups and the charges faced by political opponents of Modi’s government are examples of these concerning trends.
Former President Barack Obama highlighted the importance of protecting minority rights in India, emphasizing that failure to do so could lead to internal conflicts and instability. However, the Biden administration has downplayed divisions with India, prioritizing the partnership to counter China. This approach has frustrated human rights advocates who argue that Modi is eroding India’s secular democracy and using the US embrace to whitewash his persecution of minorities.
Despite the criticism, the visit was seen as a significant milestone for India, with many Indian Americans celebrating the country’s rise on the global stage. However, critics argue that the US’s willingness to overlook human rights issues sends the wrong message to those being oppressed and to other world leaders seeking normalization.
While India’s illiberal trends may dampen Washington’s enthusiasm for treating the country as an exceptional partner, the US’s investment in India is expected to pay dividends. India’s growing importance in establishing a favorable balance of power in Asia, particularly against a rising China, makes it a valuable partner for the US.
In conclusion, Modi’s visit to Washington highlighted the strong strategic partnership between India and the US. While concerns about human rights and minority rights were raised, the focus was primarily on countering China’s influence. The visit showcased India’s rise as a global power and emphasized the importance of the US-India partnership in shaping the 21st century.
How does the willingness of U.S. leaders to overlook human rights issues in exchange for a strategic partnership with India potentially undermine India’s stability in the long run?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently concluded a visit to Washington, D.C., which highlighted the ability of U.S. leaders to put aside differences on human rights and democratic values in pursuit of strategic interests. Despite concerns about a rise in violence and repression against minority groups under Hindu nationalist rule, Modi received a warm reception, including ovations in Congress and meetings with President Biden. The visit signaled that as long as India remains valuable to the U.S. in terms of foreign policy, Modi can continue to enjoy strong ties with Washington.
Although U.S. officials privately expressed concerns about the rights of Muslims and other minorities, the focus of the visit was on strengthening the partnership between the two countries to counter China’s influence. However, this strategy carries risks. The State Department has reported increasing sectarian violence in India, as well as pressure on journalists and political opponents. The border clashes between Hindu and Christian groups in the state of Manipur and the defamation charges against Modi’s critics highlight these challenges.
Experts argue that striking a balance between values and interests is not easy, and previous presidents have faced similar dilemmas. Former President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of protecting minority rights in India to maintain stability in the country. However, the Biden administration has downplayed these concerns, prioritizing the need for a strong alliance with India to counter China. While the administration encourages partner countries to reduce trade with Russia, it has justified India’s purchases of Russian oil as serving American interests.
In conclusion, Modi’s successful visit to Washington underscores the willingness of U.S. leaders to overlook human rights issues in exchange for a strategic partnership with India. However, analysts warn that this approach may undermine India’s stability in the long run and could have unintended consequences for the United States. The challenge for the Biden administration lies in finding the right balance between pursuing core foreign policy interests and addressing concerns about human rights and democratic values.
The strategic alignment between India and the US stands out during Narendra Modi’s glitzy visit to Washington, but concerns surrounding human rights cannot be overlooked. It is imperative for both sides to address these concerns in order to strengthen their bilateral relationship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington showcases the deepening strategic alignment between India and the United States. While concerns on human rights persist, both nations seem committed to fostering strong bilateral ties.