Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

       Newsletter

       Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition

       Friday Briefing: Narendra Modi’s India

       We explain what to expect from his third term.

       Share full article

       Read in app

       By Amelia Nierenberg

       June 6, 2024

       You’re reading the Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition newsletter. Get what you need to know to start your day. Get it sent to your inbox.

       Image

       Narendra Modi at his party’s headquarters. Credit...Atul Loke for The New York Times

       Modi’s choices Narendra Modi has just won re-election as India’s prime minister, though by a far narrower margin than expected. With his third consecutive term, the charismatic strongman has sealed his position as the country’s most significant leader in generations.

       Despite having led India for a decade, Modi has in some ways kept his country guessing about his vision. On major issues — India’s relationships, its economy, its society and its government — it’s still unclear what sort of country Modi wants India to be.

       In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain four of the big questions.

       Where will India find friends?

       India has spent recent years deepening its relationship with the U.S. It has gotten closer to American allies, including Japan and Australia, and ordered high-end American weapons systems — the kind that create dependence down the road. And it is unlikely to side with China. In 2020, Chinese troops crossed into territory controlled by India and killed 20 soldiers in a skirmish. Modi has kept Beijing at arm’s length since then.

       But Modi, 73, has signaled that he doesn’t want to be a U.S. ally. Some officials in his inner circle still regard the U.S. warily. American diplomats complain about New Delhi’s apparent efforts to erode democratic norms and the rights of minority groups. So India keeps its options open. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. tried in vain to persuade India to take a stand against the war. India still processes Russian oil (picking up the slack created by international sanctions). It still buys weapons from Russia.

       Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

       India spent the Cold War trying to position itself as a nonaligned power. Old habits die hard.

       Image

       Workers in a factory in Coimbatore, India.Credit...Atul Loke for The New York Times

       What type of economy?

       India recently overtook China as the most populous country and the fastest-growing large economy. Still, most of the country remains poor. Some 800 million people need help filling their stomachs. Modi’s ideas about how to help them can be contradictory, at once globally minded and protectionist.

       Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.

       Amelia Nierenberg writes the Asia Pacific Morning Briefing, a global newsletter. More about Amelia Nierenberg

       Share full article

       Read in app

       Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT