Veteran journalist and geopolitical analyst Fareed Zakaria on Thursday said the ties between the US and India under President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi should be a more structural, strategic alliance that is recognised by both economic powers. Speaking to Business Today in Davos, Zakaria said there could be issues around visas and tariffs, which both the countries should deal in a more diplomatic way.
"At this point, India and the US relationship is beyond personalities. It should become a structural, strategic alliance that is recognised by both countries. There are deep benefits in deepening the cooperation. There will be problems and they should be dealt in a diplomatic way. I suspect Trump to have very strong geopolitical alliance. There would be issues around H1B visas. We need to note that India is very protectionist country. Don't think Trump would be affected much as India is not big enough economic player that would affect the American economy. Trump doesn't care about free trade. He wants a good deal for the US," Zakaria said.
He added that one reason that India has not moved at a higher pace is that it is protectionist. He said India should open its borders for bigger trade. "One of the reasons that India hasn't been able to move faster in terms of manufacturing is because of its protectionist barriers. A lot of things India is manufacturing these days are just assembling. And the intermediate goods that you bring in have high tariffs. The cost of manufacturing in India is too high. If Trump's pressure makes India open up, it is good for India," Zakaria said.
Talking about Trump and Modi's leadership styles in the current political situation, Zakaria said both have emerged as strong leaders, with Modi having an edge over Trump in terms of policies and decision-making.
"The core similarity between Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi are they are anti-establishment, outsiders, disruptors... Modi came like that, Trump has come like that. The question is how long can you be the candidate of an anti-establishment. PM Modi has been in power for a long time. Yet he has managed to present himself as an outsider. This is Trump's second term and he too presents himself like that. Part of that is skill of a populist outsider... I feel there is a lot in common. Both of them are very skilled politicians. I feel PM Modi is a much more detailed policy-wise. While Trump is a lot more intuitive, he can change his mid every day. Modi, on the other hand, looks at policies carefully, and makes decision in a fairly analytic way," Zakaria said.