In 2005, Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, applied for a visa to travel to the US. Modi was to address Indian-Americans at Madison Square. The US government invoked a law—the International Religious Freedom Act, 1998—to ban his entry into American soil. The law makes provision for banning the entry of foreign nationals responsible for severe violations of religious freedom into the US. Modi's alleged tacit support to one faction during the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 makes him, till date, the only individual who was denied a US visa based on this law.
Cut to 2020. US President Donald Trump has awarded his “great friend Modi” with the Legion of Merit, degree chief commander, a high military decoration in the US for heads of states and government and senior military officials of other countries. Modi has made his mark, and how, on American soil.
The travel ban to the US was lifted as soon as Modi became prime minister in 2014, given that heads of state and government have a high measure of diplomatic immunity that the head of a state government doesn't. Modi didn't lose much time in flying out to the Big Apple, and wowed audiences at Madison Square that very September, impressing then president Barack Obama and everyone else with his rigorous Navratri fasting despite the hectic work schedule.
He has visited the US at least six times, so far, during his two terms as prime minister. His last outing, during which he impressed Trump with the reception he got during the Howdy Modi event last September, made Trump desire a similar welcome during his India visit earlier this year.
Diplomatic immunity to travel is one thing. Making an impression in the bilateral relationship with the US, and developing personal rapport with two very different presidents, Obama and Trump, is another. Bilateral relations have strengthened in recent years, though of course. The momentum had been set during the Bill Clinton years itself, and much progress made during Manmohan Singh's tenure, when the two nations signed the Civil Nuclear Deal, after which India is no longer a pariah among the nuclear material-supplying countries.
Modi, however, has put his personal brand on the relationship. The personal rapport was significant in the Paris Agreement, when it was a phone call from Obama to Modi that finally ended the deadlock over the “historical responsibility” clause in the document, something that the western world was not willing to commit to. In return, India got the encouragement to start the International Solar Alliance, the first multilateral organisation to be headquartered in India.
The Legion of Merit is not a civilian award; it is a military one. Trump, with just a month left in office, has awarded it to former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe as well as current Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, making a clear statement about the intent of the Quad, the military grouping, which countries like Russia and China are wary of.
Only on Monday, Russia said that the Quad would be detrimental to inclusive dialogue in the Indo-Pacific region. India had been wary of its engagement in the Quad for some time, but took the plunge last year, when it agreed to a meeting at the level of foreign ministers. This was held in the US last year and in Tokyo this year. India also invited Australia to participate in Malabar, its annual naval exercise with the US and Japan, making this a complete Quad exercise. This year, Malabar was conducted in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. Australia was earlier invited to participate in 2007, too, along with Singapore. The world then, however, was in a different reality than today. With the Chinese footprint growing at a worrying pace, and India in a territorial conflict with China, the significance of the Quad military exercise, albeit called by another name, is underscored.
During Modi's tenures, India and the US have cemented their military ties in a big way. India has signed the troika of COMCASA, LEMOA and BECA, the three foundational treaties that are essential to a deep military partnership with the US. With these treaties, the two countries have sealed their commitment for providing logistical support to each other's militaries, sharing geospatial data and allowing interoperability (of communication security equipment). India and the US have also adopted the 2+2 format for joint bilateral meetings of the defence and foreign ministers.
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Before Modi, two other Indians have received the Legion of Merit. Both were Army men. General K.M. Cariapppa was conferred the award in 1950 and General S.M. Srinagesh in 1955. Incidentally, only one Indian has received the top civilian award of the US, the Medal of Freedom. Ronald Reagan conferred it to Mother Teresa in 1985.
Modi, meanwhile, has collected quite a few international awards. These include the Abdulaziz al Saud Sash, Saudi Arabia's top honour for a foreigner; Afghanistan's top civilian award, the State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan; Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award, the country's highest honour to a foreign dignitary; UAE's highest civilian award, Order of Zayed; Order of St Andrew, Russia's highest civilian award and Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin, the highest honour that the Maldives bestows on a foreign dignitary. Modi is also recipient of the Seoul Peace Prize and the Global Goalkeeper award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for his Swachch Bharat Mission.
