The leader of the world’s largest democracy is on a visit to the oldest democracy of the modern world. This is Prime Minister Modi’s sixth visit to America. But this is the first time that America has called him on a state visit. Earlier in the year 2009, America had called the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a state visit. At that time, after becoming President, Barack Obama had chosen India for the first time on a state visit. That is, in the last two decades, two big democracies of the world have understood the importance of each other and are continuously trying to strengthen that relationship. In the beginning of this century, India’s rival countries like China and Pakistan were more important to America than India.
In fact, during the Cold War, India adopted the policy of non-alignment. But America understood that India’s inclination is towards the then Soviet Union and Russia after its disintegration. There was also some reality in this because after the war with China and Pakistan, India depended on the Soviet Union for its military needs. India still buys most of its military equipment from Russia. On the other hand, America first instigated Pakistan for strategic reasons. At the same time, seeing China becoming an economic power, it also became close to China in search of opportunities. But, after George W. Bush became the President of America in 2004, America’s attitude towards India started changing.
On the other hand, seeing the aggressive political and economic attitude of Communist China, America tried to make India its friend to counter it. In the year 2008, there was also an important civil nuclear treaty between the two nuclear power-rich countries, which then had a lot of political opposition in India. China has been a major factor in bringing India and America closer. Both the countries consider China as a challenge and it is in their common interest to control it. A lot of preparations were going on for PM Modi’s visit and it is being told that in this tour especially important agreements related to defense will be sealed. In the year 2016, PM Modi while addressing the US Congress had said that India’s ‘historic hesitation’ regarding relations with America is over. The current visit of PM Modi can prove to be a new milestone in the relations between the two countries.
