Can Modi and Trump be friends?

A  positive prelude to the Modi-Trump meet starting this weekend in the US, saw Uncle Sam authorise the sale of unmanned drones to India — a deal that has never been made outside of NATO partners. It’s a significant heads up, a gesture, if you will, between two of the world’s largest democracies. The Prime Minister, now in his third year in office, has proven that foreign affairs is his strength and it is an area that has earned him high approval ratings among the public at home. The US President, on the other hand, has had much-discussed run-ins with heads of states in the few months he has been in office. A widely-discussed conversation with Australian Prime Minister, the awkward relationship with Mexico, the schooling of leaders at the NATO summit, the wandering around in the Vatican — which prompted one political commentator to compare it with the furtive assessment of a real estate mogul! And, of course, the hosting of the inscrutable arch rival, the Chinese President Xi Jinping, at Mar-a-Lago; it’s been an interesting time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bonhomie with Barack Obama was there for all to see, leading CNN to label them the “odd couple”, who spent a lot of time on the phone together and met on at least eight different occasions.

Their differences in personalities, Modi’s warmth vis-à-vis Obama’s reserve, led to a lot of comment, but a bond was formed, even resulting in a joint op-ed in The Washington Post and a co-hosting gig on Mann ki Baat.

Obama has been known to holler out to Modi when he spots him, breaking protocol and engaging in casual banter. This became a friendship despite the elitist commentary that described the Prime Minister’s easy warmth towards the former President as being gauche and even undignified.

But those days are over; there is a new POTUS in the White House. International diplomacy has much to do with the relationship between leaders and is an underestimated aspect of the analysis that is often presented in foreign relations assessments. Personal diplomacy is an integral part of furthering ties between nations. PM Modi has an instinctive understanding of this, hence his invitation to leaders of the subcontinent for his swearing-in and the impromptu calling on Nawaz Sharif early on in his tenure. The payback from that outreach might have been disappointing as things developed, but Prime Minister Sharif’s status in his country is known to all, as is the role of Pakistan in the region, be it with relation to India or Afghanistan. They are not very neighbourly. However, PM Modi cannot be faulted for not reaching out.

But back to friendships between world leaders, the strong personal bond between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher led to a revitalising of a flagging relationship between the two countries. Its dimensions recorded in a letter from the then President to the Iron Lady in which he wrote, “…the Lord has brought us together for a profound purpose, and that I have been richly blessed for having known you.”

Will Trump and Modi find their profound purpose and friendship? While Obama and Modi shared an arduous journey (fighting against institutionalised racism by the former and a persistent elitist chaiwallah bias by the latter) to get to the top of their game.

President Trump and PM Modi come from very different personal backgrounds. One a billionaire since birth, the other has grown up and lived in poverty for most of his life. However, enterprise might be the lynch pinch — each is committed to creating jobs and opportunities for their citizens. But the PM will also have to save jobs; it is uncertain whether the visa issue will dominate the interaction or be mentioned at all. However, his domestic audience and especially his strong support base of non-resident Indians will be keeping an eye on those discussions. There is also the compelling fight against terror which both have mentioned on numerous occasions. The President’s peevish references to India during his speech articulating his reasons for rejecting the Paris Climate Accord were typical of Trump. However, they can’t be viewed as a deal breaker or even awkward. The President carefully watches state elections in India, calling up PM Modi on the Uttar Pradesh win. Now having had an electoral triumph in the crucial special election in Georgia, both leaders are firmly placed, making them their own man in their political contexts. This should help them take decisive positions on issues on which our two countries can cooperate. But first, it must start with personal rapport. In the event one thinks this is an overemphasis on the personal, I am in no way suggesting intimacy on the scale that George W Bush displayed when he shared that Tony Blair and he use the same brand of toothpaste! But friendship is always a good start.

The author is an established writer and screenwriter