Trust Deficit

How India-US ties pan out is anyone's guess. But one thing is clear: India cannot fully trust the US as a reliable partner in times of need

- Seema Guha IS A SENIOR JOURNALIST COVERING FOREIGN AFFAIRS

WHEN US President Donald Trump slapped a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods—the steepest alongside Brazil—it wasn't merely another trade skirmish.

At stake was not just trade levies, but a quarter century of steadily building trust between two countries working their way from the time when they were on opposing sides of the Cold War divide to what is now described as a comprehensive global strategic partnership covering “almost all areas of human endeavour”.

Now, with Washington demanding that New Delhi curb discounted Russian oil purchases and toe its line on foreign policy, the question looms: will India bend, or will it lean back on Russia, a tested traditional friend, and mend ties with Asian rival China? Can India-US ties survive this Trumpian assault, more so as Trump is reaching out to arch foe Pakistan? Is India unfortunately caught in the crossfire between the US and Russia, or is it something more? India had dubbed the tariffs “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”, As both the European Union (EU) and the US itself continue to buy certain items from Russia. And what of China, the largest importer of Russian oil? The US has not targeted Beijing for this!

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has built an image of being a strong, nationalist and decisive leader, is faced with a dilemma—a questioning of his foreign policy and highly personal style of diplomacy. Any hint at capitulation risks political backlash, yet defiance could further escalate tension. Indians, fiercely protective of strategic autonomy, have never taken kindly to diktats. The choice ahead may determine not just the tenor of Modi's foreign policy, but the very trajectory of India's ambitions of one day taking its place at the high table of global affairs.