Don't rise to any bait from Trump

Following China's example in the dimension of building human capital and knowledge capital is India's best defence against pettiness & narcissism

- NIRVIKAR SINGH

THE TRUMP TARIFF saga continues to follow a winding path with unexpected twists and turns. Dealing with the situation is a bit like playing a video game, where hazards and monsters keep appearing and difficult decisions must be made at many stages without a clear sense of what lies ahead. In this case, the "final boss" does not just come at the end, but appears repeatedly. Luckily, in the current reality, just like in video games, there are second chances, and the lessons of past failures matter.

Donald Trump started out with some biases against India. He viewed it as a very closed market for US products, which it has been, relative to many other countries. Matters were made worse by his inherent biases against people who do not look like him, or have the kinds of looks that he finds attractive. Trump also is sensitive to power, and India lacks the kind of power that he pays attention to. He is susceptible to flattery, and—at least as far as I can tell—India's leaders have not done as much in that direction as many others (even the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).