India, Feb. 11 -- In the first Trump administration, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited the White House in June 2017, six months after Donald J Trump took power. This time around, Modi will visit the White House less than one month into President Trump's second term. The question is whether Modi's early venture into Trump's world - which has been marked by an unusual level of chaos and disruption - will pay off for India.

Chances are that the Modi-Trump meeting will go smoothly. India's foreign minister S Jaishankar already had a successful meeting with his counterpart, secretary of state Marco Rubio, on the latter's first day on the job. Modi and Trump also spoke on the phone one week after inauguration day. The Trump admi...