Global Chaos: Trump's Double-Speak and India's Dilemma
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's killing in a joint Israeli-American attack marks a new crest of military hostilities in the West Asian region. This comes amidst unprecedented conflict proliferation worldwide, including the Russia-Ukraine war, US-Latin America tensions, and South Asia's ongoing conflicts.
Donald Trump's second presidency has unleashed economic chaos and disrupted the US body politic, but it's unfair to blame him alone for the proliferation of military conflicts. Trump's approach to conflicts in Europe and West Asia has been motivated by crushing the weaker devil but courting the stronger one.
The US's double-speak on conflicts is driven by differentiated political economy dividends. With the US now self-sufficient in petroleum, the geo-economic dictum of 'when West Asia sneezes, capitalism goes on ventilator' no longer holds. Trump's economic calculus is sweetened by the political weaponisation of the anti-anti-Semitism campaign in the US.
Trump has aced the art of cultivating constituencies to pit them against his enemies, but he faces opposition from those who disagree with his policies, including his tariffs and regime's war against the US Federal Reserve. His fate in the larger war remains uncertain, especially with the midterms scheduled for later this year.
India faces a dilemma in hedging its bets amidst the global chaos. The country's immediate material interest often conflicts with its large moral compass. India could have done better if it possessed strategic prowess like China, which continues to buy cheap Russian oil to meet its energy needs.
