No Brotherhood, This

India's foreign policy initiatives in recent years have shown signs of giving in to pressure from the United States

- Anand Teltumbde

IN In recent years, India's foreign policy initiatives have increasingly shown signs of yielding to pressure from the United States. Notably, in a bid to ease trade tensions and secure closer economic and defence ties with Washington, the Indian government has reduced tariffs on several key US imports. It is clearly linked to overtures by President Donald Trump—who has long derided India as a 'tariff king' for imposing steep trade barriers—and as an effort to recalibrate bilateral trade towards achieving a target of doubling commerce to $500 billion by 2030. The recapitulation has been starker in the crucial areas of defence, which could potentially impact India's military strategies. To many, this pro-imperialist bias in the government may be surprising given its claim to be the ultra-nationalist party, but it is quite consistent with the history of its parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

India's Geopolitical Position