ramana wrote: ↑16 Aug 2025 02:38
A couple of questions for the members?
1) What is driving Trump against India? Give listed reasons like a) ...b), c)...
2) What do members think of people like Asha Motwani (specifically) who are interjecting themselves into Indian foreign policy?
Again give answer a).. b)... c)....
Note with respect to 2) US has a law that which requires registering as a foreign agent.
a) As I mentioned before this is an ambiguous relationship from the beginning. On the Indian side we signed the 3/4 letter agreements thinking key American technology will arrive for the benefit of India assent. Nothing substantial came. On the US side they were thinking some major defense purchases will happen and yet they denied their crown jewels for sale. India never brought anything that will get major offensive teeth to her armed forces. Same goes with trade and geopolitics. Tell me in which forum Indian interests were defended against China or Pakistan. The whole Taliban Afgan deal was done without even giving India a seat in the negotiation. There were constant attempts to deny furthering of Indian interests and constant signs of internal interference and sabotage on any India ambitions.
b) However there was an appearance of a relationship with a bit of neutrality. All that changed post May 10, 2025. American's saw Indian hard power in play without any strategic restrain and they definitely were shocked. A combination of local innovation, Russian and French weapon systems destroyed Paki assets that included some American Radar and fixed wing systems. American built nuclear C3I systems were destroyed beyond repair. If India continued there is no Pakistan and that should have alerted some of the old guard in CIA and State department. Suddenly they are seeing a major power in Asia that is a real potential threat to their dominance in IOR.
c) Combine that with Modi reading the riot act to Trump about his casual approach to the Paki terrorist posture against India from Canada. Indian negotiators were not ready to compromise on any Indian agricultural interests in the trade negotiations. Trump does not have a sense how much India has grown in economic and strategic size today. He does not have any understanding that with the current heft, India is not looking for any subservient relationship with the Americans.
d) Finally unlike China which has developed real leverage against and American action, India seems like not having any leverage. This may not be true if deeper analysis is done, but at the surface level Trump admin thinks they can beat India and get away with it.
The above are hard facts, the rest of the things like some noise from the Indian diaspora and media is just that -- noise. In the next few weeks and months, we will see how Modi is going to deal with this. They will first prove that 50% tariff is small fry and India is not going to budge an inch by bully tactics. Next they will start pressing the right buttons for the Americans to understand that they are not going to gain anything from pushing India out of their circle of influence. We have the precedence of how China and Canada was dealt with when they try to fool around. Modi admin is not the one who is going to back off from such bully tactics, period.
