India’s Shinzo Abe

Indian voters have handed a landslide victory to the Bharatiya Janata Party, ushering in Narendra Modi as prime minister. For the first time in 30 years, India will not need to hobble together a coalition government. Brahma Chellaney, of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, compares Modi to Japan’s Shinzo Abe: “Like Abe, Modi is expected to focus on reviving India’s economic fortunes while simultaneously bolstering its defenses and strengthening its strategic partnerships with likeminded states, thereby promoting regional stability and blocking the rise of a Sino-centric Asia.” Both men, intent on pursuit of economic growth, have the support for business leaders around the world. Both want to broaden their nation’s regional influence. Challenges for Modi include assuring peace with neighbor Pakistan, a nuclear nation that is struggling economically, as well as forging ties with the United States, which famously revoked his visa in 2005 in connection to 2002 religious riots in Gujarat. Chellaney concludes, “A deeper Japan-India entente under Abe and Modi could potentially reshape the Asian strategic landscape.” – YaleGlobal