DC Edit | New Threats To Rupture US Ties?
Trump’s insistence on India discontinuing the purchase of Russian crude oil could have been understandable if he had championed democratic rights and the rule of law
US President Donald Trump’s backing for a bipartisan bill to impose up to 500 per cent tariffs on countries importing Russian crude oil amounts to sheer blackmail and exposes double standards in Washington. While it is a sovereign right of any country to determine its national interests, any move to impose this unprecedented tariff on India for Russian oil imports will permanently take it out of the American orbit. For the next few generations, Indians will not trust Americans.
Trump’s insistence on India discontinuing the purchase of Russian crude oil could have been understandable if he had championed democratic rights and the rule of law. His own interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin resembles the rendezvous of long-lost friends, but he wants others to burn bridges with Moscow.
Another factor that appears to be blocking the Indo-US trade deal is New Delhi’s reluctance to open up its market to US farm produce, as it affects small farmers in India. If this were the real reason, both Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have been right because they are duty-bound to protect the interests of their people. However, if one were to believe US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, this is not the real reason.
The main reason for the US imposing higher tariffs, which damaged the India-US relations, is Mr Modi’s reluctance to call Emperor Trump and pay obeisance to him. If a call can make or mar bilateral relations between two countries, it exposes the hollowness of such a relationship. Mr Lutnick’s comparison of India with the UK shows his indifference to facts and logic — for any decision that India takes affects 1,470 million people, while London’s moves impact merely 70 million.
If the US truly believes that it is the preeminent global leader, it must bear a relatively higher burden of maintaining order. However, its decision to quit 66 international organisations appears to show that it has made a choice. Now, the global leadership position is up for grabs.