Mitra Weighs In on Trump’s Tariff Threats to India in The Guardian Article

August 25, 2025

The Guardian

India

International Affairs

Tariffs

Trade

United States

The Guardian

Devashish Mitra

President Trump’s use of tariffs has shifted from protecting U.S. industries to serving as a political weapon, targeting countries like India, Brazil and Canada over issues ranging from Russian oil purchases to foreign policy stances.

Experts warn that this strategy risks undermining long-term U.S. alliances and pushing nations such as India closer to China. With traditional diplomacy weakened, tariffs have effectively replaced statecraft, leaving America with fewer tools to manage global tensions.

For many in India, the threat faced over Russian oil purchases seems incoherent, ill thought out, and could push India closer to China, says Devashish Mitra, Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs.

“India did consider the U.S. an ally,” says Mitra. “It was a country that the U.S. was relying on as a counter to China in that region. So it had a huge geopolitical importance, but it doesn’t seem like Trump values any of that.”

Read more in The Guardian article, “Trump’s tariffs replace diplomacy as other US tools of statecraft are discarded.”