With Biden sworn in as President of the United States, it seems to be becoming the mainstream mood in the United States in the hope that he can bring the “morbid, weak, angry, divided and violent” America back.
It may be understandable that the minds of the American people bet on Biden under internal and external troubles.
But doesn’t it sound strange to say that a South Asian country thousands of miles away is staring westward with unprecedented enthusiasm and high expectations, hoping that the new Biden can bring miracles to his country?
You’re right, India, the “strategic partner” of the United States, which is currently being overwrenched by the epidemic crisis and economic difficulties, is recently addicted to a “new topic”: how to more cleverly demonstrate that Biden has “class feelings” with the United States.
For example, a new poll by India Today shows that more than half of the Indian people think that Biden’s rise to power is of great benefit to India.
In India Today, Biden has obviously always advocated deepening the relationship between the United States and India.
The article also listed a bunch of arguments to show that Biden seems to be a traditional “pro-Indian”: in 2001, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden strongly advocated the lifting of sanctions against India; in 2008, Biden helped guide the “historical” civilian nuclear agreement between the United States and India in the Senate. Passed…
According to the Indian media, the Trump administration, which has frequently put pressure on India in the past four years and often threatened by tariffs and even sanctions, has become a sharp contrast at this time, setting off Biden with “human glory”.
Therefore, they generally believe that Biden, who attaches more importance to alliance relations, is expected to put the US-Indian economic and trade relations back on track.
In fact, in addition to the old roots, there is a more important reason why Indian public opinion is optimistic about the Biden administration, that is, “there are people in the middle of the dynasty”.
Because of her Indian heritage, Kamala Harris was warmly welcomed by the Indian media, politicians and commentators after being elected Vice President of the United States.
Some people called her election a “Proud Moment” in India.
I still remember that just after Harris was elected, Modi tweeted congratulations, saying that this was a “historic moment”, looking forward to meeting Harris and making India-US relations stronger.
In a letter to Harris, the leaders of the Indian Parliament called him “India’s daughter”.
To the deep pride of the Indian media, in addition to Harris, India has many “own people” in the White House.
India Today inventory said that the number of Indian-Americans on Biden’s team was “unprecedented”, and in addition to Harris, 20 Indian-Americans (17 of whom were in the White House) held important positions.
All of the above undoubtedly become India’s psychological basis for expecting India-US relations to go further in the future.
And when explaining why India is so eager for the Biden administration, the Indian media inevitably involves China.
Indian media believe that against the backdrop of the unstable border between China and India, and India’s long-standing ambition to be a “great country of color”, India urgently needs the United States as a friend.
According to India Today, compared with 59% of Indians clamoring about the war against China in August 2020, India’s anti-China sentiment has cooled slightly. Recent polls show that 57% of Indian people believe that negotiations are the best way to solve the Sino-Indian border crisis.
But whether it is in conflict with China or negotiations, India seems to be a little “underprissed” in the hope of pulling the United States to embolden itself.
In addition, in 2019, India repealed Article 370 of the Constitution, and India’s relations with Pakistan fell to the lowest level in decades.
After that, the Indian media exaggerated that “the embrace of Beijing and Islamabad is obviously one of the main reasons why New Delhi needs friends from Washington”.
Ideals are full, but after all, whether India can count on “American friends” and put a question mark. On Biden’s list of tasks, the mountain of domestic problems is obviously given higher priority.
And abroad, European allies, East Asian allies, NATO, the Middle East issue, climate issue, Iran’s nuclear issue… are also waiting for Biden to “turn a new page”. It is clear that before India, Biden had a lot more important things to deal with.
As for how much role “India’s daughter” Harris can play in the relationship between the United States and India, her Indian uncle analyzed from the perspective of a senior defense scholar that Harris’s Indian origin will not benefit India.
“they [the United States government] will not avoid criticizing India and let India do whatever they want.”
According to US media reports, Harris’s Indian heritage may also be her “pain point”. Commentators said that “she represents oppressed African-Americans on the one hand, and Brahmin, the oppressor in the Indian caste system on the other”.
Perhaps precisely to put aside this shackles of identity, Harris publicly said in 2019 when India repealed Article 370 of the Constitution that the United States was very “concerned” about potential human rights violations in India.
What’s more, the times have long changed. As Japan’s Asahi Shimbun published an editorial after Biden took office, the decline in the sense of existence in the United States may not be reversed.
Leaders, including Japan and European countries, still need to be prepared psychologically. Gone are gone when they rely on a particular big country. Only one can rely on it.
Japan and Europe, the closest allies of the United States, have begun to understand this truth after receiving Trump’s “education”, and India, which aspires to be a “great country of color”, may want to pay more “tuition fees”.
