Whatever you think of him, Narendra Modi’s victory is a global event. Nobody knows whether Mr Modi will embrace the US-India relationship or walk the multipolar walk. His swearing-in today as India’s prime minister coincides with Vladimir Putin’s “pivot to Asia” with the 30-year China-Russia gas deal.
US President Barack Obama’s own pivot looks increasingly content-free. If the US president is to retrieve the geopolitical initiative, he will need to win over India’s new strongman. India, as they say, is the “global swing state” of the 21st century. Mr Obama must ensure it swings America’s way.
That looks like a bit of a stretch right now. Mr Modi is bristling with resentment at a US that denied him a visa in 2005 over his role in the 2002 Gujarat massacres and only lifted the ban recently. In contrast, Mr Modi visited Japan five times during that period and China on three occasions – always getting the red carpet treatment.