Chop and Change

India should not align itself with the American camp. It should continue to assert its strategic autonomy

- Seema Guha

ONCE upon a time, about six years ago, there were media houses, opinion makers, politicians and cocktail circuit regulars, both in the US and India, who hated both President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in equal measure.

The two leaders' ostensible friendship and bromance would be the end of the world, they felt. Now the Modi-haters in the US are more sympathetic towards the Indian prime minister, as their anger over Trump and his antics bubbles over every day. Many influencers in this camp say Modi has got a raw deal from Trump. In turn, the Trump haters in India are secretly rejoicing as he is taking on Modi like nobody else has. For them, the US president, who was the devil incarnate till a few months ago, is now the sweet avenger.

The irony of this situation sums up recent India-US relations. The Trump tariffs are the new low, the most damaging of steps in the seesaw, blow-hot, blow-cold tactics between the two biggest and the greatest democracies in the world. But the tensions were palpable even before.

As is well known, India and the US were on opposite camps during the Cold War years. America's strong backing of Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation war of 1971, and President Richard Nixon dispatching the 7th fleet towards then East Pakistan to intimidate India, are etched in New Delhi's institutional memory.