India is livid with the American President Donald Trump. He says he is India’s friend, but has just declared our fast-growing economy “dead” and imposed a crippling 50 percent tariff on our exports to the United States. This is among the highest the US has levied on any country.
India’s response thus far is a confused mix of defiance, posturing, and talking to America’s rivals. There are reports that it might pause some purchases of US arms.
The time, however, has come for Indian leaders to decide whether to shed the country’s longstanding non-alignment policy and make common cause with the Americans.
Trump has given two reasons for his unfriendly acts: India doesn’t buy enough US products, and it buys Russian oil in huge quantities despite American sanctions. Imposing his first 25 percent tariff, Trump said, “India has not been a good trading partner because they do a lot of business with us, but we don’t do business with them.” It was his second salvo of another 25 percent tariff “for buying Russian oil,” however, that warrants even closer attention.