Trump has announced 25% tariff on Indian goods across the board, this after he had announced only 10% almost six months ago. He also in a very condescending tone has threatened a penalty for trading with Russia. Trump’s penalty threat, while currently undefined, echoes a deep-rooted US strategy of leveraging economic pressure to reshape foreign alliances and deter ties of countries with it’s adversaries.
Trump has accused Russia of killing thousands in Ukraine, and hence reiterated that we stay away from Russia. And then within hours he announced a trade deal with Pakistan including a long term pact to extract oil from there.
To put it bluntly, Trump has treated india like a third world country that can’t stand on its own. If it was a fair world, (which it isn’t) ideally India should be putting penalties on the US for trading with Pakistan. The whole world knows that Pakistan is a hub centre for terrorism and will use all this trade money for buying more weapons from US, which would be used against India.
Trump has forgotten that Pakistan just used F16 against India against the laid down rules of transfer by Washington. He also conveniently forgets that Russia is not in direct war with the US but Pakistan is with India. Then for the USA to have elaborate trade ties with Pakistan is like stabbing India in the back.
Now what options does India have? India has an option to increase its trade with EU many fold. India also has an option to cautiously trade with Russia, under own terms and conditions. Cautiously, because Russia is very close to China and not because US is asking us to lay off.
We must shun both the blocks, that is US and Russia for any arms deal. EU for defence collaboration is a good option. We however must and must not be dependent on anyone and build our own infrastructure and develop our own technology. We need to take a way that is similar to what China has done, build up ourselves on a war footing.
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