Home and Abroad: American reds will not be without benefits

Dr. Jai Narayan Vyas

Due to the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, some of us Harakhpadoos have started distributing jaggery throughout the village. The red name of America will not benefit, our harakhpadus should understand that much. Trump has said more than once that 20 to 50 percent or more import duty should be imposed for American companies to set up production systems in America and create jobs for the American market and exports. The biggest burden of this will fall on China but not on India. India exported $77.52 billion to the US out of a total trade of $128.71 billion between India and the US in 2023-24. These can range from pharmaceuticals to auto parts. Silicon Valley companies prefer India for software development. What will be the effect if there is an additional burden on all these? Indian goods can become expensive in America. This will affect India's exports. Parents who went to America with H-1-B visas for work could take their then minor children there on their passports. Now these children have grown up and become adults. He has studied in America so he wants to stay there, but his parents are standing in a long queue for him. A major concern right now is whether these adult children will have to leave the U.S. when they don't have citizenship or green cards, although Trump's stance is a bit more sympathetic. Indians make up the largest number of migrant workers in America. In 2021, 72 percent of the total non-resident Indian persons aged 16 and above were working here. The US has also taken a tough stance against illegal immigrants. Indians accounted for 50 per cent of those caught illegally crossing the border last year. America, however, needs skilled workers with the right skills. Deals like the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies took place during Biden's tenure. Trump is expected to push it further. A quad alliance between India, the US, Japan and Australia has emerged in the Indo-Pacific region during Trump's last tenure to counter China's growing influence. Trump's stance on extremism and terrorism related to Pakistan, Kashmir and Bangladesh is positive for India. When Article-370 was removed from Kashmir, Trump called it an internal matter of India whereas Kamala Harris's statement was the opposite. Trump condemned the persecution of minority Hindus in Bangladesh. Trump's stance on both Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas is different. Trump has openly supported Israel during his previous term and even talked about recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. America does not maintain friendly relations with both China and Russia. India is doing this so it remains to be seen whether Trump will continue the 'as is' situation or pressurize India. Australia, New Zealand, America and England are five countries organization known as Five-I countries. They take decisions by exchanging intelligence with each other and news of actions against their country. The US has also accused Raw and the Indian government of trying to kill one of its citizens in the US. Whether this issue will gain momentum or subside during Trump's tenure will depend on India's diplomacy. It will not be surprising if Trump's attitude remains with the Five-I countries. Considering the above point, one thing should be understood right now, Trump is worried about India. Trump is interested in India's huge domestic market for America. Trump is interested in exporting military equipment to India. Trump is interested in India becoming an important country in the Quad countries and helping to keep watch over China in the Asia-Pacific. Bangladesh is going to give its island of St. Martin to America for building a military base, so America's attitude may be pro-Bangladesh and keep India-Pakistan at an even distance. At the same time, America can pressure India to reduce crude oil purchases from Russia and Iran. A semiconductor chip factory to be set up in India is now looking likely if Trump's 'America First' policy does not fall under Trump's 'America First' policy and immigration laws are relaxed. Which side the rest of the camels will sit on will be determined by Trump's own thoughts and where America's interests lie. It should always be kept in mind that every country decides its foreign policy as well as its relations with other countries only by looking at its own advantage and convenience. Foreign policy is a policy that is coldly implemented to benefit one's self or harm one's enemy. For the last few years, India has been struggling to understand this phenomenon. Relations with our neighboring countries, which are often sour, are a vivid example of this. Despite our great interest in Canada, it is puzzling why our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and especially our high-profile Foreign Minister has stooped to the point where the Nijjar case has come to the doorstep of the fortress. }