The Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been so positively relevant on the global stage in recent years. It is hard historically to see when the country—controlled by Indians for themselves—has been so significant beyond its borders, and moving economically forward so fast. Yet, highly relevant now is the vast Indian diaspora that includes the likes of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who heads a major G7 nation. But it gets better.
On the American side, there is Kamala Harris, the US vice president, who is a proverbial “heartbeat” away from heading America and whose mother was an Indian immigrant. In fact, altogether there are three main US politicians of Indian (and Hindu) heritage, being positioned or in line to lead this top superpower.
Beyond Harris, there is Nikki Haley, former Republican governor of the US state of South Carolina and ex-US ambassador to the United Nations—an organisation which New Delhi needs effective support from to raise important dialogue from those who understand how international organisations really work (or don’t). Haley saw good growth in her state’s economy when governor.
There is also the multimillionaire, Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy, an Indian-American entrepreneur controlling billions of dollars of largely pharmaceutical assets, also in a pro-growth health sector with a future. He is also in the running to become the next Republican president.
Haley and Ramaswamy are two of five “finalist” Republican candidates to be the next US president, willing to debate on stage, seeking to be on the presidential ballot in next November’s US election. Of course, Donald Trump—who has been a no-show at debates—is still widely leading the field to face off against current president Joe Biden in the next election.
Regarding the recent televised Republican debate on 8 November 2023, both Haley and Ramaswamy performed well. So let us look at these two Republicans in more detail.
Haley has the following positives. She would be the first US female president, about time, if she were elected. She is well-tested managerially as a successful (bipartisan-oriented) US governor. Added to this are her years in the federal cabinet with insights into Washington.
Very importantly, as an ex-ambassador to the UN, she is well-versed in the complexity of global politics and what diplomacy is about, including India’s international realities, though she needs a major update. Haley may have the best chance among all Republican Party candidates, including Trump, of beating Biden. From The Hill’s reporting on the election: “GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley outperforms former President Trump in head-to-head match-ups with President Biden in key swing states in 2024.”
On Ramaswamy, the youthful 38-year-old is giving hope to the younger generation and minority youth that America is a land of possibility. Ramaswamy is also positively connected to Jewish groups from his student years, even receiving a Soros scholarship, from George Soros’s brother’s side of the family. As for global outreach, he has had many joint investments with the Chinese. This author has not been able to find information showing any serious investment connections of this entrepreneur to the fast growing and dynamic Indian pharmaceutical industry, that no doubt would welcome his investments. Polls for him though, are not favourable. “[November 8], ahead of the third Republican primary debate in Miami, it’s a different story. Ramaswamy has fallen to fourth place in national polls, with just 5 percent of Republican primary voters supporting him, down from 12 percent in August.” (Forbes)
As for Kamala Harris, VP of the United States. Harris has had many media detractors for not being more significant and substantive. But the vice presidency is largely a support to the president and is not so much about standing in the limelight or making major decisions. However, the international experience she has been getting from her travels and meeting heads of government, including Prime Minister Modi must be useful. As former Attorney General of America’s largest state, California, she also has managerial experience.
Final analysis of which of these three would be best-suited as president: Nikki Haley stands out best in terms of stature, believably as a confident steady hand with credible successful experience. She has demonstrated an ability to get bipartisan support and give and take on serious social policy. But like all the candidates, she has not provided a serious roadmap to fiscal and debt sanity. While supporting Ukraine which is not a bad place to be, she appears to be overly and easily supportive of giving too many US taxpayer dollars to Kyiv, instead of ending the war. This should make voters somewhat nervous about a Haley presidency, despite it being well beyond time to have a woman president.
Further, on Ramaswamy: There is nothing wrong in having a young entrepreneur as president to shake up government and the economy. But while more oil and natural gas production may be required to stabilise energy prices, he should check his energy policy with the weather. Recent hurricanes, tornadoes, as well as flooding have brought up the question of climate change. Younger voters are not as supportive of fossil fuels. However, his foreign policy on ending useless wars is a realism that sadly none of the other candidates on the stage support. As mentioned, his poll numbers are low at least as of now.
More on Kamala Harris: She had a hard time mobilising any significant popular support in the Democrat party primaries, three and a half years ago. The media has been largely savage in questioning her competency. However, if she became president, she might better bring out her true, more competent and confident self and show more of the right stuff as she did when she led California’s Department of Justice. Do not count her out.
In conclusion, in seeking or being positioned to be US president, Haley seems to well outscore her fellow Indian-American competitors, except on some key geopolitical positions.
However, who then would be best for India? Probably Haley, with her stronger political leadership skills to deliver. And favourable to New Delhi, likely are her vociferous positions against China and official diplomatic experience compared to Harris and certainly Ramaswamy.
Leaders abroad with Indian heritage are not always an automatic win for New Delhi. But they can find it easier to understand Indian contexts and interests. While it is true that the diaspora is largely helpful to Indian interests, the best guarantee of India’s global relevancy, security and prosperity should be the national government. Nothing can replace it, especially the current Modi government.
Peter Dash writes extensively on geopolitics.