Trump’s Tariff Strike on India Risks ‘Damascus Moment’ in Ties

Spread love

Political tariffs may please Trump’s base but trigger long-term damage; Chinese, Pakistani voices join chorus on implications

By TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, August 7, 2025 —US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose fresh tariffs on Indian exports has triggered alarm among diplomatic experts and former officials. They caution that the move could inflict lasting damage on the hard-won strategic trust between New Delhi and Washington. Many are calling it a potential “Damascus moment” in US-India relations — a sharp and irreversible turning point.

Nirupama Rao Menon, a geopolitical commentator, described, in a thread on X, Trump’s tariffs as “politics plus leverage,” designed to send a strong message while minimizing immediate retaliation. But she warned of deeper consequences: “The long-term cost may be trust erosion in US–India ties & a Damascus moment for India.”

Menon laid out five interlocking motives behind Trump’s tariff gambit. Rallying the “America First” base in key swing states ahead of Mid-Term elections could be a possible provocation for Trump.

She also listed “long-standing US frustrations with India’s high tariffs on American goods; India’s continued imports of discounted Russian oil provide a sanctions pretext; India poses less risk of severe countermeasures compared to China or the EU; and a Trump calculation that India needs US markets more than the reverse.”

While New Delhi has officially refrained from escalating tensions, the backlash within India appears bipartisan. Ironically, Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the US, noted the rare political consensus in India: “Trump seems to have united Indians. The opposition is criticizing Trump’s bullying as the government deals with it.”

Haqqani added, “This too shall pass,” suggesting that India might simply outlast the Trump pressure campaign. “Waiting three and a half years is not going to be too hard for India,” he said, hinting at a strategy of strategic patience, even if it comes at a political cost domestically.

Former US diplomat Evan Feigenbaum, who played a key role in US-India relations during the George W. Bush administration, struck a grim note: “Even if India and America get a tariff deal done, the trust is gone.” He lamented the shift away from bipartisan efforts to “depoliticize” the bilateral relationship — a reversal he believes could have “catastrophic” consequences.

China, never missing an opportunity to weigh in, took a swipe at Washington’s tariff diplomacy. Chinese ambassador to India Xu Fiehong quoted Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi telling his Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim: “Using tariffs as a weapon to suppress other countries violates the UN charter, undermines the WTO rules, and is also unpopular and unsustainable.” The Chinese ambassador in New Delhi sought to encourage the Indian defiance to Trump’s tariffs, saying: “Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile.”

The symbolic and strategic fallout is already visible. Indian media and commentators have begun to question whether the US can still be seen as a reliable partner. The timing is particularly sensitive, given India’s recent G20 chairmanship and its growing aspirations for a stronger role in global trade governance.

If Trump’s calculus is electoral and transactional, India’s response might be measured but long-ranging — quietly recalibrating strategic ties and diversifying economic dependencies. The consequences, experts suggest, will linger far beyond any short-term tariff rollback or trade deal.

Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn