Now that Democratic nominee Joe Biden is almost set to become the President-elect of the United States and Donald Trump on his way out, it is time for individual countries such as India to assess their relationship with the US under Biden and seek the way forward. It is no secret that the US under Donald Trump had a very cordial relationship with India and the former had visited India earlier this year too. Political analysts have already started speculating as to how the relationship between the two democracies will turn out to be.
There are a number of issues vital for India (and Indian-Americans) which come into play when Biden takes charge. First and foremost is the H1B visa. Biden has released a policy document aimed entirely for Indians. It mentions his plans to increase the number of visas and modify the H1B visa system. This is likely to turn out to be a boon for Indian immigration to the US as Trump had revised the visa rules against Indians. He had also expressed his views frequently on the issue.
Biden’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change is also likely to benefit India. It must be noted that a couple of weeks back Donald Trump had called India, Russia and China as filthy nations. Responding to him Biden had said,” You don’t speak about friends like that.” Experts are of the view that if the US returns to the Paris Agreement the Earth may be a somewhat cleaner planet—or at least it may check further deterioration in the global environment.
The foreign policy under the Biden Administration may be different from that of Trump. However, on larger international issues such as relationship with India and China, it may follow the same policy.
Joe Biden, if he becomes the President, will be the oldest to take over the top job ever. He will be 78 on November 20. As of now, the oldest US President in history was Ronald Reagan, who was 77 when he left office in 1989.
