Updated: November 7, 2020 10:47:04 pm
Vice President Joe Biden wins the presidency. (AP Photo: Carolyn Kaster)
Democrat Joe Biden has been declared winner of the 2020 US presidential election, defeating Donald Trump, according to the news agency The Associated Press.
So will Joe Biden be good for India?
This is something that every Indian wants to know. Here’s what your stance might look like in some key areas, judging from your past record and statements.
Has Joe Biden been friends with India?
Long before becoming vice president of the Barack Obama administration, Biden had advocated for a stronger relationship with India.
Biden played an important role, both as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and later as vice chair, in systematically deepening the strategic engagement with India.
In fact, in 2006, three years before he became Vice President of the US, Biden announced his vision for the future of US-India relations: “My dream is that by 2020, the two nations most close to the world are India and the United States ”, he had said.
Although (then) Senator Obama was initially hesitant to support the Indo-US nuclear deal, Biden led the charge and worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass the nuclear deal in the US Congress in 2008.
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What was your contribution during your tenure as vice president in the Obama administration?
Biden was one of the key advocates for strengthening the Indo-American partnership, especially in strategic areas. During that time, the United States officially declared its support for India’s membership in a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council. This had been a key demand of successive Indian governments, which was met by Washington during Biden’s tenure as vice president.
The Obama-Biden administration also named India a “senior defense partner,” a state approved by the US Congress, which facilitated the exchange of advanced and critical technology with India to strengthen defense ties. This was crucial as it was the first time that this status was granted to a country, outside of the traditional US alliance system.
In fact, in August 2016, at the end of the Obama administration, the two sides signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), the first of three “founding pacts” for deeper military cooperation.
LEMOA enables the US and Indian armies to replenish from each other’s bases and access supplies, parts and services from each other’s ground facilities, air bases and ports, which can then be reimbursed.
LEMOA is extremely helpful for cooperation between the United States Navy and India as the two countries are closely cooperating in the Indo-Pacific. To put the usefulness of this deal in simple terms, it’s like being able to stop at a friend’s garage or workshop to refuel or repair your car when you are away from your own home or workshop.
Later, the Trump administration signed the remaining founding pacts: COMCASA and BECA.
What has been Biden’s approach to terrorism?
Obama and Biden also strengthened cooperation with India to combat terrorism in each of their countries and throughout the region.
“Biden believes that there can be no tolerance for terrorism in South Asia, cross-border or otherwise,” says his campaign document.
While he has not said much during his time in the administration about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, New Delhi hopes that he will carry forward the legacy of the US administration’s approach to India-Pakistan when it comes to cross-border terrorism. 📣 Express Explained is now on Telegram
How is the Biden administration going to look at China?
In recent years, Washington has become aware of China’s aggressive behavior, and there is a somewhat bipartisan consensus among Democrats and Republicans about China as a strategic rival and threat.
While the Trump administration has expressed much support for India in the past six months of the border standoff with China, New Delhi will also expect a similar approach from the Biden administration.
One will have to wait and see if Biden goes the same way, but there could be nuances in the language and rhetoric of American officials.
“A Biden Administration will also work with India to support a stable, rules-based Indo-Pacific region in which no country, including China, can threaten its neighbors with impunity,” says its campaign document.
While Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, had been attacking the Communist Party of China quite openly, the Biden administration’s language could be more calibrated.
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What about immigration and Indian visas, especially H1B visas for qualified professionals?
This has been a major concern for Indians under the Trump administration. As Democrats are seen to be more liberal on immigration, Biden is expected to be softer on Indians who go to the United States to study, work and live there, and aspire to a better life.
He promised to support family-based immigration, increase the number of visas offered for work-based permanent immigration, reform the temporary visa system for skilled and highly skilled jobs, remove limits on employment-based green cards. He has also promised to restore the naturalization process for green card holders.
But as the Trump administration has tightened the rules, it may not be very easy for Biden to reverse some of the approaches taken over the past four years.
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What about your attitude towards human rights issues, especially since Kamala Harris, your vice president, is a staunch defender of human rights?
This is of great concern to the Indian government, which has received support from the Trump administration on the Jammu and Kashmir issue.
Although some US congressmen and women had raised red flags on the human rights situation following the repeal of Article 370 and the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act along with the proposed national NRC, the Trump administration had taken no action. beyond making some superficial statements.
But with the Democrats in power, the Indian government can expect some tough statements from the Biden administration on these issues.
Biden has been “disappointed by the steps the Government of India has taken with the implementation and consequences of the National Citizens Registry (NRC) in Assam and the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act into law,” the document of Biden’s campaign policy. had said.
“As the oldest and largest democracies in the world, the United States and India are united by our shared democratic values: free and fair elections, equality before the law, and freedom of speech and religion. These fundamental principles have endured throughout the history of each of our nations and will continue to be the source of our strength in the future, ”says Biden’s campaign document.
Tracking your campaign engagement will be something to consider.
Overall, will he make a good president for India?
For the past 20 years, all US presidents – Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump – had differences on many issues, but if there was a common theme that they all agreed on, it was this: a stronger relationship with India.
What that means is that there has been a tradition of bipartisan support for better ties with India, and each American president has done better than what he inherited from his predecessor over the past two decades.
So to cut a long story short, there is no reason to believe that Biden will not continue the tradition, but of course, he will have his own style and nuances, and will put his personal stamp on the relationship.
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