SVG
Commentary
Wall Street Journal

India鈥檚 Elite Worries about America

Leaders in Delhi wonder if the US is up to keeping the global system intact.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 High Level Segment meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on December 1, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Caption
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 High Level Segment meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on December 1, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

New Delhi

I spoke at the Global Business Summit, a conference organized here by an Indian media group, and spent several days talking to Indian business leaders, journalists and senior government officials. Most were very optimistic about the country鈥檚 prospects. India鈥檚 economic growth is trending at about 7% a year, and a massive infrastructure push is transforming the country. The flight of foreign (and Chinese) capital from China is driving investment to India, with companies such as moving electronics production here.

From the standpoint of government officials and many in the business world, there鈥檚 more. The Bharatiya Janata Party government is heavily favored in parliamentary elections this spring. With an , Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the most popular leader in the democratic world and appears headed for a third term. Businesses like certainty, and even corporate chieftains who don鈥檛 share the BJP鈥檚 Hindu nationalism support a strong, stable and reasonably pro-business government in New Delhi.