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Key Points

A top Indo-Pacific expert warns that the Trump administration's approach of publicly pressuring India could seriously damage bilateral relations. The administration appears to believe India needs the US more than vice versa, which experts consider a miscalculation. Trump's social media tactics targeting Modi's relationships with Putin and Xi are seen as ineffective and counterproductive. Many seasoned US officials are reportedly astonished by how quickly the relationship has deteriorated in recent months.

Key Points: Expert Warns US Public Pressure Risks Alienating India Ties

  • US risks damaging India ties with public policy demands
  • Trump administration underestimates India's strategic importance
  • Many US officials saddened by rapid relationship decline
  • India likely to strengthen ties with other US allies instead
3 min read

US risks alienating India with public pressure, warns expert

German Marshall Fund expert Bonnie Glaser cautions that Trump administration's public demands on India's foreign policy could backfire, damaging crucial bilateral relationship.

"Trump isn't a strategist, and he is focused on making America great again, which from his perspective, does not require strengthening alignment - Bonnie Glaser"

Washington, Sep 6

Bonnie Glaser, the Managing Director of the Indo-Pacific Programme at German Marshall Fund, a think-tank, has warned that the current US strategy of "publicly delivering instructions to India" about its foreign policy choices is unlikely to "deliver the desired results".

In an exclusive interview with IANS on Friday in Washington, Glaser said that the Trump administration appears to believe that India needs the US more than Washington needs New Delhi.

"The Trump administration appears to think that India will prioritise its relationship with the United States because it needs the US more than the US needs India."

Responding to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's statements on Friday, where he appeared to set preconditions including demanding India "stop being a part of BRICS", Glaser said while "some officials in the Trump administration think strategically, I doubt that Lutnick is one of them".

"Many senior American officials who have worked assiduously over the past two decades to strengthen US-India ties are astonished and saddened by the decline in the bilateral relationship in just a few months," she added.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump posted a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that India and Russia seem to have been "lost" to China.

"Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Glaser emphasised that Trump uses social media to "shape the behaviour of foreign leaders and other individuals" but in this case, the tactic would likely be ineffective.

"In this latest post, he may think that by highlighting how close PM Modi and Putin have aligned themselves with President Xi Jinping, those leaders will feel uncomfortable and adjust their policies. I doubt it will be very effective," she added.

As relations with the US sour, Glaser noted that India will "likely continue to strengthen ties in some areas with Europe, Japan, South Korea and other US allies".

For the US, she believed that Washington "will fail" if it seeks to counter China by itself.

"Trump isn't a strategist, and he is focused on making America great again, which from his perspective, does not require strengthening alignment and cooperation with partners and allies on China and other issues. In my view, the US will fail if it seeks to counter the multitude of challenges that China poses by itself," she added.

Going forward, Glaser cautioned that a phone call between PM Modi and Trump could be risky and the two sides should rather look for a "cooling-off period".

"A cooling-off period might be a good idea. Unless our leaders are persuaded that further deterioration of bilateral ties is costly to their national security, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to stabilise the relationship," she advised.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Trump's social media diplomacy is so immature. Comparing world leaders to school children? India has always followed an independent foreign policy and will continue to do so. The US needs to understand that.
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Aditya G
While I agree that public pressure is counterproductive, India also needs to be more transparent about its strategic choices. We can't have it both ways - wanting US support while cozying up to Russia and China. Just my two cents.
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Sarah B
As someone who has worked in both countries, I can say this approach will definitely alienate Indian public opinion. The relationship needs mutual respect, not ultimatums. Hope wiser heads prevail in Washington.
Vikram M
India is not anyone's pawn. We have 1.4 billion people to think about and our foreign policy serves our national interest first. The US should remember that strong partnerships are built on equality, not domination.
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Michael C
The expert is right about one thing - the US can't counter China alone. Alienating India, the world's largest democracy, is strategic foolishness. Hope the administration realizes this before it's too late.

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