We should welcome President Trump’s attendance at an upcoming Houston rally by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It might seem silly, but this rally will serve real foreign policy interests.
On Sept. 22, the “Howdy! Modi” event will include up to 50,000 Indian-American Modi supporters. The rally is designed to bolster India’s influence in American politics and illustrate the growing closeness of the U.S.-India relationship. And the Indian government is very glad that Trump will attend the rally. Modi tweeted as much on Monday, welcoming the “special gesture of President Trump to join us in Houston highlights the strength of the relationship and recognition of the contribution of the Indian community to American society and economy.”
Trump should be happy. He has two good reasons to want Modi’s increasing support.
First off, India is taking an increasingly active and confident role in challenging Chinese imperial aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. While welcome in terms of the obvious benefit of another great democracy taking a stand against China, India’s action also benefits the U.S. by signaling its alignment to America rather than Russia. In a world increasingly defined by great power struggle, and by Sino-Russian cooperation, India’s burgeoning alliance with America is of critical value.
Then there’s India’s positive contribution to the global economy.
While India is desperate to gain greater visa access to the United States, a controversial issue in U.S. politics, it also offers the prospect of vast new export market opportunities for the United States. While India remains a key purchaser of Russian military equipment, it has recently taken steps to bolster American defense imports. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. India’s economy has slowed recently, but Modi is taking bold action to boost his economy’s dynamism and reduce barriers to entry. Bound to the rule of law, India’s population offers great market potential to high-value exporters in the U.S. software and high-technology industries. India can help create tens of thousands of new well-paid American jobs.
If a rally doubles down on these opportunities and a most important prospective friendship, then, well, “Howdy!”
