India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar has tried to make the best of a bad bargain. He believes in taking a pragmatic view of Donald Trump’s policies which have triggered severe criticism in the US and the Western press. The White House is a symbol of global power and since President Trump cannot be removed from it, there is no point in India making him out to be an ogre. Of course, much that he has done should draw flak. Here is a list. First, his ban on travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim majority countries. Second, the sudden resignation of US National Secretary Advisor Michael Flynn within 24 days of his appointment. Trump’s governance is almost as sloppy as India’s. The fact remains that he has been democratically elected by the majority of Americans.
It would appear that Jaishankar relies on Trump’s commitment to have good relations with all countries and fight Islamic terrorism. Trump has already tried to build a bridge with Japan. India is also on his list of friends. The two countries have a shared interest in combating the Taliban in the AF-PAK region. Barack Obama refused to blame Islamabad for nurturing terror havens in Pakistan and prompt the UN to sanction a terrorist leader like Azhar. Islamabad is battling terror groups to hit out at India. Pakistan, Russia, China and Iran want to legitimise the Taliban. Washington may come to Delhi and Kabul’s rescue. H1-B visas are a thorny issue and should be handled diplomatically.