The Trump adviser Peter Navarro criticising India.

The Trump adviser Peter Navarro criticising India.India’s friendship with Russia is old and traditional; while its relationship with America has often been fraught with obstacles. America has never stood by India in any war it has faced, on the contrary, America supported Pakistan in the wars of 1965 and 1971. Instead of being a democracy and getting support from another democracy, India has always received support and assistance from authoritarian Russia.

Recently, the claim that an enlightened American has gone mad has not only become a hot topic of discussion in India, but has also raised eyebrows in America. The reason why this gentleman named Peter Navarro is called an enlightened person is because he is a key advisor to the president of the most powerful country like the United States of America and is guided by his intelligence, President Trump is engaged in a ‘tariff’ war. The incident happened two days ago, in a television interview, Navarro tried to prove with logic that the long-term war between Russia and Ukraine is not really Putin’s or Zelensky’s war, but ‘Modi’s war’. In a time when America’s meaningful and meaningful diplomacy has taken a break and decisions on foreign affairs that shake the entire world are being published on social media platforms like ‘X’ or ‘Truth Social’, there is no reason to be surprised that the intelligence and imagination of these so-called American intellectuals are wandering around like cows, ignoring the nonsense; but the fact is, the situation where the world is being turned into a barricade by such individuals is a cause for great concern, which is a brief discussion in this column.

It is well known that China is the largest oil importer from Russia. The United States also buys oil and natural gas from Russia and is keen to negotiate with Russia to exploit the vast oil reserves in Alaska, which is why Putin received a warm welcome from Donald Trump on 15th of last month. The largest buyer of Russian natural gas is the European Union. But according to Navarro, the money Russia earns by selling oil to India is what is keeping the war in Ukraine going, and if India stops oil imports, Russia will immediately lose its combat capability. So, in his opinion, this is really ‘Modi’s war’. Mr. Navarro, however, does not mention that a major reason behind Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was America’s attempt to include Ukraine in ‘NATO’, thereby extending the net of ‘NATO’, Russia’s most vehement opponent, to its neighboring country Ukraine. Needless to say, such a fear led a vulnerable Putin to resort to war. In this war, the United States and European countries provided Ukraine with military equipment and financial assistance. But in Navarro’s view, the responsibility for this war does not lie with any of the above countries; it is ‘Modi’s war’, which has clearly told Putin that ‘this is not the time for war.’ Needless to say, Navarro’s comments have naturally caused discomfort for many Americans, because the speech of a top presidential adviser often involves the honor of the nation.

In that meeting, one of the views expressed by Peter Navarro was that leaning towards a dictatorial country and a sworn enemy like China is completely incompatible for a democracy like India. In his opinion, both America and India, being democracies, should be natural allies. However, the fact is that after the events following ‘Operation Vermilion’, Trump’s rude approach towards India, insulting behavior, and the attack with the highest ‘tariffs’ (among Asian countries), India, which is hesitant to turn towards China to create a new power equation, seems like a cruel reality, but also a search for a new horizon. It is true that many Indian public figures and experts are not convinced about the possibility of this new relationship, because in their eyes China is hardly trustworthy and since Trump or his ilk are unlikely to remain in power forever in a democratic America, the situation will change and cordiality between India and the US will return. However, it is also true that India will definitely move forward with great caution while increasing relations with a known enemy like China. And if, despite all the adversities, a front is possible for these two neighboring countries, then it will be a turning point. It is well known that after the ‘tariff’ war, these two enemy countries have suddenly become flexible towards each other, which has never happened before. In that regard, a thin ray of hope can also be seen. Unfortunately, given the US’s recent show of charisma, maintaining relations with it is also becoming a difficult task. Navarro, who dislikes democratic India’s relations with authoritarian China or Russia, forgets that Trump has always been keen on friendship with the ruthless dictator North Korea; he visited North Korea thrice in the first round and is now preparing to visit North Korea again. Not only that, Trump is no less authoritarian than anyone else. It is clear that India’s friendship with Russia is old and traditional; while relations with the US have often been fraught with obstacles. America has never stood by India in any war that India has faced, but in fact, America supported Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars. Instead of being a democracy and getting support from another democracy, India has always received support and assistance from dictator Russia. It is well known that in the 1960s, Pakistan was like America’s adopted son, which relationship, which had been weak for the last two decades, has suddenly become stronger under Trump’s influence. In all these respects, there is no particular reason to agree with Navarro’s argument.

In that meeting, Peter Navarro’s wise advice to India was to stop importing oil from Russia, and the tariff would immediately be reduced by 25%; that is, India would benefit from its friendship. The irony of Navarro’s (and Trump’s) thinking is evident here. In their dictionary, the most appropriate word for friendship is probably servility. Navarro’s moment of breaking the silence is now, which means that India must find its own way, no matter how difficult it may be!