Rejecting plea of India to end vaccine raw materials ban; Biden’s administration says “America First”
The US administration particularly under Biden considers itself as a superpower with the leadership of morality and ethics. Instead of helping its's strategic partner India during a crisis, it has put self-interests first over obligations.
India is reporting nearly the highest number of Covid cases per day in the world amounting to 3.5 Lakhs. The scale of the crisis is such that essential medicines and oxygenated beds are unavailable. The only exit gate out of this crisis is to vaccinate a large part of the population quickly so that the transmission of the virus ends just like in the case of Israel.
As India’s healthcare system has collapsed, the public staring itself at an unknown and dark future, India’s strategic partner in the Indo-pacific has decided not to lift the restrictions on the ban of essential raw materials for the vaccine. The state department officials of the Biden administration have taken a stand of ” America First. “
State Department spokesperson Ned Price brazened it out by saying, ” “It is not only in the US interest to see Americans vaccinated; but it is in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated. ” This when people in India as gasping for oxygen, beds, and medicines which can only be brought to an end by a quick mass immunization program.
Answering the question of whether the US will consider its friend’s request to lift the ban, he said, ” The United States first and foremost is engaged in an ambitious and effective and, so far, successful effort to vaccinate the American people. That campaign is well underway, and we’re doing that for a couple of reasons. Number one, we have a special responsibility to the American people. Number two, the American people, this country has been hit harder than any other country around the world more than 550,000 deaths, tens of millions of infections in this country alone. The point the Secretary (of State Antony Blinken) has made repeatedly is that as long as the virus is spreading anywhere, it is a threat to people everywhere. So as long as the virus is spreading uncontrolled in this country, it can mutate and it can travel beyond our borders. That, in turn, poses a threat well beyond the United States. We will, of course, always do as much as we can, consistent with our first obligation. “
The US administration under Biden in February had invoked the Defence production act making it a must for Covid-related manufactures to cater first to the domestic market restricting exports. SII CEO Adar Poonawala had earlier tweeted directly to POTUS regarding how the export ban on media solutions, filters, and needles are affecting the production capacity and requested to lift the same.
The Indian MEA minister Dr. Jaishankar also held a meeting with various officials from the different vaccine manufacturing companies in India and the ambassadors of Germany & the US regarding the same. Also, the same has been addressed earlier too at various levels but in vain. Biden had responded earlier saying that he understands India’s concerns, but just understanding someone’s concern at a time of crisis and death without helping them is not enough.
This will certainly act as a bad injury on the bilateral relations as domestic concerns cannot be immune to foreign relations and it does play a huge part. This when last year despite domestic criticism, Narendra Modi had allowed the export of 50 million units of HCQ medicine to the US at Trump’s request.
Also, the comments from Ned Price were insensitive, arrogant, and raised doubts of America’s claim of back being the helping superpower of globalism, which Trump had constantly eroded and isolated America’s diplomacy for self-interests.
This is not the first time that US which considers India as a key partner has done something harming the relations.The US had earlier put India on a currency manipulator list with most experts calling it ridiculous. This was done to block the flow of capital from the US to India. The US Navy last month entered Indian EEZ without permission saying it was free to do so as per maritime laws. This is more of a supremacist rather than friendly behavior. Experts say the US democrats are pushing Biden to pursue a more hawkish policy with India.
Every country puts its citizen first and the US has the right to do it. But, when the US claims moral leadership and professes to be a helping superpower — Biden’s catchphrase of “leading not just by the example of our power but the power of our example” — then it must also practice it in reality and not just preach about it. If indeed the US considers India as a strategic partner it must help its friend in times of need- A friend in need is a friend indeed.
