India needs to follow the ‘once bitten, twice shy’ approach
“There are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.” This quotation attributed to William Clay, a black Congressman elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1968, is becoming increasingly relevant, especially in the field of politics. Today, this quote can be aptly used to describe US President Donald Trump and his relations with other world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump’s ‘friendship’ is so flickering and unsteady that even the seasons appear to be more stable in the face of climate change.
Trump’s actions and reactions clearly appear to be amateurish and don’t seem to come from a seasoned statesman. His recent post on social media, which came days after the bonhomie between the Indian Prime Minister, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese city of Tianjin, demands serious thought. “Looks like we have lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” President Trump stated last week, in his remarks, that ties between New Delhi and Washington reeled under possibly the worst phase in over two decades.
However, wonders will never cease as far as matters related to the US are concerned, especially while President Trump is at the helm of affairs with his shape-shifting American dreams. The latest ‘words of wisdom’ coming from Trump have tried to restore his friendship with Modi. The US President has said that “India and the United States have a special relationship, and there’s nothing to worry about regarding the ties between the two countries.” Talking to media persons in Washington last Friday, he also said, “Prime Minister Modi is a great Prime Minister, and he will always be friends with Mr Modi.” Interestingly, Trump did not forget to display his disappointment over India buying “so much oil” from Russia.
Even though Trump is ready to reset his relations with India, New Delhi needs to conceptualise an alliance with Washington—beyond friendship—in order to address long-term concerns. Indian negotiators in the past had relied heavily on the perception that depended on Modi’s ‘My Best Friend Trump’ narrative and sincerely believed that a pro-American military and defence co-operation would help for a favourable lenient tariff policy. However, Trump belied these hopes and instead sided with Pakistan against India’s strategic interests.
Trump’s newly found love for Modi and India, especially after imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, should, however, be considered very carefully. India needs to follow the ‘Once bitten, twice shy’ approach, and the Modi government seems to be doing just that. Just as the Indian Prime Minister responded to the US President’s friendship call, saying the two leaders would “always be friends” and he would “fully reciprocate the (US President’s) sentiments”, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, without mincing words, made it clear that “India will continue purchasing Russian oil”, further stressing that “decisions will be guided solely by national interest”.
Today the Indo-US relations have reached a crossroads, and these relations need to be viewed through the lens of US-Pak ties. Trump has signed an executive order offering some tariff exemptions to countries with US trade deals, and even if India figures in the list of these countries, it should continue its relations with the US with a lot of wisdom and understanding.
