Why A Trump Presidency Will Be Damaging To The US-India Relationship
The current US presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has been one of the
Since Republican candidate, Donanld Trump, has taken an unassailable lead against Hillary Clinton, there is a need to look at what he has to offer to India. Rhetorically, he has been supportive of India and 'Hindus', but a deeper look into his style of working tells a different story altogether.
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This campaign has been marked by scandals that just won¡¯t go away (any mention of emails or tax returns will most likely elicit a tired groan from any American); Trump¡¯s refusal to recognize the outcome of the election (unless of course he wins) alleging election fraud; Trump¡¯s threat to put Clinton in jail and inviting Russia to interfere in the election; and even acts of violence, such as an African-American church in Mississippi being burned and spray painted with the phrase ¡°Vote Trump¡±, a Republican office in North Carolina firebombed, or physical attacks on Trump protestors at his political rallies.
As Americans are already lining up for early voting around the country, many are eagerly anticipating the final outcome on November 8¡ªElection Day. Many, though, are just looking forward to the election to finally being over.
But the ramifications of this election will shape the future political climate of the United States, regardless of who wins, and will impact the relationship between the United States and India.
Would a Clinton or Trump Presidency be Better for India?
Reuters
If there is one word that can best describe Hillary Clinton, it is steady.
Her performances in the presidential debates, her speeches and rhetoric, and her detailed policy positions are all evidence of a seasoned politician and stateswoman accustomed to and understanding of the demands of Executive Office. This steadiness extends to her positions on India.
Hillary Clinton¡¯s relationship with India dates back to a 12-day trip in 1995 as First Lady that laid the foundation for persuading President Bill Clinton to revive the US-India relationship following its 1998 nuclear tests. When a US Senator from New York State, Hillary Clinton served as the co-founder and co-chair of the Senate India Caucus and supported the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement. She even jokingly described herself as the ¡°senator from Punjab¡± given her high level of support from Indian-Americans, especially Sikhs. Her popularity among Indian-Americans is evident in an October 2016 survey that shows she has 67% support from Indian-American voters while Donald Trump only garnered 7%.
As US Secretary of State, she made multiple visits to India and stressed that India should ¡°not just look east, but engage east and act east¡± and take its position as a major Asian power, one that the US would continue to work very closely with. She played a pivotal role in expanding US-India relations. It is expected that a Clinton presidency will continue to grow and strengthen the economic and security relationship between the US and India.
Reuters
If we were to select one word to best describe Donald Trump, it would be erratic.
Other than a few business deals, such as the Trump Tower in Mumbai, Donald Trump has had very little dealings with India and no record of public service to draw upon to predict what his positions on India would be as president. He has, instead, made a series of ambiguous and contradictory statements over the past decade.
While he has commented that the Indian economy is doing well, Trump has also stated that he intends to bring back jobs to the US from India. He has placed India in the same category as China, an economic competitor and a threat to the US¡¯s well-being. Trump wants to put into place immigration controls that would make it far more difficult for Indians to come to the US, even calling for a ban of all Muslims. Trump has also said that he wants to attract Indian entrepreneurs and students to come to the US.
Many of his positive comments about India and the Indian-American community have been largely through the prism of Hinduism. He announced at a recent event with the Indian-American community, featured in a political ad celebrating Diwali, ¡°I am a big fan of Hindu¡I love Hindu¡± (And that is not a typo). Perhaps he is unaware that Hindus comprise only 51% of the Indian-American community and not sophisticated enough to understand the great multicultural and multi-religious history and culture of the Indian Subcontinent. While he attacks Muslims today, it may be another group tomorrow. Indeed, Trump has a long list of different groups he has attacked or offended.
While Trump has made positive statements recently about India and strengthening the US-India relationship, though with very little specifics, one unfortunately never knows which Trump you¡¯re going to get. He is unpredictable and has proven to say whatever comes to mind, even contradicting previous statements made by his campaign or even himself. These are all poor qualities for a president, particularly when dealing with matters of foreign policy.
The International Reverberations of a Trump Presidency
The unpredictability of Trump combined with his appeals to populism and unquestioning nationalism make him a dangerous person to fill the office of President. The impact of a Trump presidency will be felt far beyond the borders of the United States.
Reuters
Besides India, Trump¡¯s flippant comments and contradictions throughout his campaign have caused US allies to question his commitment to alliances. He has lambasted NATO, stating in July 2016 that he may not come to the defence of a NATO member state (though in one of the presidential debates he said he was all for NATO) and argued for the further proliferation of nuclear weapons. Trump¡¯s erratic behaviour would make it difficult for any nations to be able to trust and anticipate his commitment to any future alliances.
Equally worrisome is his apparent comfort level with authoritarian dictators around the world. He has praised the strong leadership styles of no less than Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Bashar al-Assad, Muammar Gaddafi, and Saddam Hussein.
We are increasingly seeing in places like Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Turkey the rise of authoritarian dictators, nationalist parties, and other ideologues that have or are beginning to seriously undermine democracy and human rights, especially against minority communities. In many ways, their ideologies, light on reason and facts but heavy on emotion and hatred, are the natural allies of Trump and his supporters. Having the support of President Trump could bolster their international legitimacy and further empower their regimes domestically to continue to chip away at the foundations of democracy and good governance.
While many people want the election to simply be over, the outcome of this important election will reverberate around the globe for years to come. We will see what world we wake up to on November 9.
Harrison Akins is a Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Tennessee¡¯s Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy.
Harrison Akins is a Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Tennessee¡¯s Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy.
