Contours Of Cooperation

Trade winds rarely blow steady; they shift, stall, and sometimes strike with sudden force.

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For India and the United States—two nations whose destinies are increasingly intertwined—the latest squall has come in the form of punitive tariffs. Beginning August 27, Washington's steep 50 per cent duty on a wide array of Indian goods has rattled exporters, especially in labour-intensive industries like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, and machinery. The anxiety is palpable: orders are being renegotiated, US buyers are pressing for deep discounts, and livelihoods that depend on cost competitiveness now hang in the balance. Economic think tanks warn that nearly two-thirds of India's $86.5 billion exports to the US stand exposed to prohibitive costs, with shipments potentially shrinking by tens of billions. Yet amid the turbulence, officials in New Delhi have called for calm, pointing to a 21.64 per cent jump in exports during the first four months of this fiscal year, and stressing that dialogue channels with Washington remain open. The moment, then, is one of disquiet but not despair—a reminder that in trade as in diplomacy, storms may rage but the