The insults heaped on India by senior officials of the Trump administration, including the PoTUS himself, that have become all too frequent of late, show New Delhi and its foreign policy in a poor light in this fast-evolving new world order. Ever since Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration has adopted a policy towards India that many perceive as being outright dismissive. From calling India a “dead economy” to slapping sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports to America, including a 25 per cent punitive tariff for buying Russian oil, the US has resorted to economic and geopolitical bullying of India on a scale never seen before. On top of this, the phrasing taken up by top US officials in reference to India, such as describing New Delhi’s purchase of oil from Russia as something Washington has “allowed,” and “permitted”, and calling Indians “good actors,” carries an unmistakably insulting and patronising undertone.
What surprises most is the silence of top people in the government of India toward this non-stop verbal assault by the US. This is the same government that had repeatedly denied any American involvement, which was claimed by Trump himself, in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day military confrontation in May last year. Now that seems to have completely changed for India and the policymakers.
Also Read
For decades, India has maintained strategic autonomy, the ability to engage competing powers without being drawn into their rivalries, as the cornerstone of its foreign policy. Unfortunately, recent developments imply this carefully cultivated image is beginning to fray. The sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which had just participated in a naval exercise hosted by India, has become an awkward symbol of New Delhi’s growing diplomatic ambiguity. Although India cannot be blamed for any action of foreign powers in the open sea during ongoing hostilities between two other nations, its silence after the attack is deafening. The vessel, torpedoed by a US submarine near Sri Lanka while returning from the India-hosted MILAN Naval Exercise, left over 80 sailors dead.
However, the problem for India lies not merely in that incident but in the symbolism surrounding it. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Ara ghchi pointedly referred to the warship as “a guest of India’s Navy,” suggesting that a vessel welcomed by India had been destroyed within a maritime region where New Delhi claims growing strategic responsibility. For India, which often describes itself as a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean, the optics are clearly disconcerting. When confronted by a reporter, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reacted rather cautiously to the sinking of IRIS Dena and avoided direct criticism of the US. He in fact, said that while India considers itself a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean, that “does not override the realities of the region,” a statement seen as an acknowledgement or acceptance of the presence of strong American naval power inside India’s claimed water territory.
This diplomatic embarrassment comes at a particularly sensitive moment. The widening confrontation involving Israel and the US against Iran has already spilt into sea lanes that are crucial for India’s energy security. At this time, it is ridiculous to notice Indian TV channels showing stories about India’s energy resilience when everyone knows there exists no such thing. Plus, New Delhi’s response has appeared uncertain and hesitant rather than purposeful. The timing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, just 48 hours ahead of the launch of Israel and America’s war on Iran, has only reinforced the international perception that India is incapable of taking any decisions in its own interest and is therefore drifting closer to one geopolitical camp while continuing to insist on its “strategic autonomy.” The contradictions appearing in India’s foreign policy have resulted in a posture that satisfies neither side. This explains why Washington speaks in patronising terms about “allowing” India to purchase Russian oil, while Tehran questions India’s reliability after the sinking of IRIS Dena.
Foreign policy credibility depends on diplomatic clarity, not rhetoric and optics. The directionless diplomacy pursued by India over the last decade has left New Delhi caught between competing great-power alignments, while reducing the country to a minor player in a ruthless geopolitical pecking order that has evolved recently.
