Mao Keji | मुखर्जी
C. Raja Mohan's latest essay reads less like geopolitical analysis than like a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The signaling is unusually explicit, and the piece rewards a close reading. 1) Set the argument itself aside and consider the timing. The commentary appeared on the eve of the SCO and BRICS summits, making deft use of a moment of concentrated attention in the service of a larger diplomatic purpose—above all, to ensure that the West registers the messages New Delhi is eager to send. 2) The substance is no less carefully calibrated. Much of the piece is designed to reassure Washington decision-makers and forestall a dangerous misreading: even as Indian leaders toast their Chinese and Russian counterparts, the US remains the single most important pillar of Indian diplomacy. That holds even if Trump has treated India like a bloodbag for some time. 3) At the same time, the essay issues an almost undisguised warning. Washington—and Trump in particular—should not overplay its hand. India still has options for retaliation, including ending the quiet service it has rendered to the US by acting as a spoiler within the SCO and BRICS. For, example, "India could stop playing a moderating role in the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization—for example, by no longer diluting efforts to dethrone the U.S. dollar as the world’s dominant currency." https://www.foreignaffairs.com/india/india-sticking-america-now