Donald John Trump, the quondam 45th President and the extant 47th President of the United States of America has come a long way grappling and wrestling with the Democrats after his Iowa Republican Presidential caucuses in 2024. The Presidential victory gave Trump the American people’s mandate to govern decisively, at a time when both the Western and Oriental worlds doubted his re-election as the President of the United States (POTUS) in wake of his convictions, antecedent history of sexual violence, business fraud, violation of the judicature and tendency of violent resurrections.
Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) crowds went frantic and maniacal when Trump promised them a revamped Make America Safe Again (MASA) strategy, aimed to follow a sociological anti-immigration, inter-continental isolationist and neomercantilist America First Trade Policy – based on the assertive and resurgent American Transactional Foreign Policy and further proposing to define and limit inter-sexuality and squandered gender identity.
The Indo-US relations has always been ambivalent in nature, from being diplomatic disasters to natural allies, from a sanctioned hostile country to become an endorsed partner, from being a defining partnership of the 21st century to become America’s greatest strategic partner. India and America share economic, technological and strategic collaborations in multiple fields of interest. Even the premiers of the respective countries, both the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump proudly superscribe to their populist rhetorics, “Make in India” and “Make America Great Again”.
India is increasingly becoming America’s defence partner with the tactical revival of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) and the collusion of the Indian and American Navies triggering the rechristening of the US Pacific Command as the US Indo-Pacific Command, as Oriental countries sceptically watch. Indian and American mercantile liaison emanated glaringly with the amplified US Foreign Direct Investement (FDI) to India and the resolve of their pending key World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes. The two countries cooperate with significant dimensions and proportions in the parameters of Technology, Greenfield and Innovation. India gained licence-free access to a wide range of technologies regulated by the US Departments of Commerce and State with her sensible elevation to the Strategic Trade Authorisation Tier 1 status.
But India also has a China problem, both comprehensively and incomprehensively. With deglobalization reshaping the world economy, China’s pre-dominance in global supply chain, logistics and inventory has become impossible to ignore. Indian Government’s Annual Economic Survey highlighted this imperative, stating that ‘to boost Indian manufacturing and plug India into the global supply chain’, the country must ‘plug itself into China’s supply chain.’ The report definitively advocated a pragmatic approach focused on attracting Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI).
With the new-fangled American zeal for social, transactional and internal reforms, India must prepare and brace for her strategic autonomy and regional security concerns, amid the United States’ push for increasing bilateral ties in multiple sectors. Trump’s protectionist policies doesn’t appears to find the solutions, but rather to catalog and itemize the problems.
As American tactic and demeanour under Trump 2.0 evolves dynamically, India is the new elephant on the block amongst her BRICS confrère. India should be as much wary of America’s friendshoring reparations and impairments, as she must be wary of the hypervigilant eyes of the Chinese Dragon. The Indian diaspora abroad should also prepare for an internal protectionist dose of American syrup in their vanilla white bread world.
Dr Shadab Ahmed is an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, and a translator of several books on Historical & Ethnic poetry