Late in the evening on Thursday, IST, the hints which looked hazy all throughout the day got a bit of clearness as the news channels in unison flashed that Democrat Joe Biden has an overwhelming chance of winning the US Presidential elections. Republican and incumbent President Donald Trump in all probability is going to bite the dust and a threat has already come from him that he is going to challenge the result’s legality in the US Supreme Court. Drama has been at a high all over the preceding weeks and it will hardly be surprising if it sustains even after declaration of results as tension has mounted across the length and breadth of the world’s oldest democracy with internal security under deep scrutiny. Whoever the winner is, for India, the results and the next US President will matter in a big way and carry far-extending ramifications touching multiple fronts-foreign policy, bilateral relations in the geopolitical context of the subcontinent taking China into account, trade and commerce, defence and so on. As such, policy makers in India are busy making calculations and are gearing up accordingly to meet the unfolding contours of diplomacy.
Among various issues at hand currently, the most important to ponder seriously will be what the US stand is going to be in the Indo-China conflict. With Trump at the helm, it has been a much favourable position for India in the faceoff with China as the US has openly stood and extended support, which has actually been a major and strategic ‘balancing factor’ in the prevailing geopolitical climate of the subcontinent. This has been achieved due to India’s successful diplomatic manoeuvres during the Trump regime that have been effective enough to corner China. The question is will the same cooperative attitude be displayed by Biden or equations will alter fast. Though Biden hasn’t been outspoken in the early part of the campaign, at the later stage he came out of his ‘restrain’ and had been much critical of China, which the foreign policy experts are construing as a ‘hope’ for India. Nevertheless, a major point of worry for India will be the Kashmir issue, as being essentially a Democrat the culture therein champions the cause of civil liberty and sustenance of democracy. The US press has been strongly critical of the developments in J&K and the issue is going to be an ‘irritant’, sooner or later.
Various ‘smooth points’ particularly regarding trade and commerce with India at an advantage in trade deficit and strategic defence deals will be under review by the US if Biden wins. As India will have to defend these erstwhile ‘gains’ and make efforts to minimize the prospective ‘differences’, the US election outcome will be a major influencer. 

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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