Judging by the sparse media coverage devoted to Dimitry Medvedev?s brief visit to India last week, one could be forgiven for not knowing that he came at all. Three decades ago, in the Indira Gandhi-Leonid Brezhnev era an official visit by a Russian head of state would have paled all other such visits. The world has, of course, changed since then.
India has steadily moved to a free market economy coupled with a strengthening democracy while Russia, after a brief fling with free markets and democracy after the collapse of communism has now moved in the opposite direction. India, therefore, has a more natural ally?in terms of values, institutions and outlook?in the US now than it does in Russia, which in the Putin years has moved to domestic authoritarianism and muscular unilateralism in its neighbourhood.
Politics aside, Russia is no longer a crucial economic partner. India?s trade with Russia is less important than India?s trade with the US, EU and China. Investment trends show a similar regional bias. Our economic interaction with Russia is confined mostly to defence procurement and now nuclear reactors following our return to the international nuclear mainstream.
One would assume that even that interaction would be given more importance than it has. Two reasons may explain why the media stayed away from it. One, Medvedev?s visit came in the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai attacks?press coverage focused on those and on reactions from Pakistan and the US?and got drowned in the noise. The second reason perhaps is reflective of Medvedev?s stature. Even though he is the President of Russia, everyone knows that Vladimir Putin, now the PM, still calls the major policy shots. Putin, even as PM, would have attracted more attention.