The View From India newsletter: Tariff storm in India-U.S. ties
India has so far not announced any retaliatory measures. A host of Indian sectors, particularly the garment and leather industries, will be affected by increased U.S. tariffs. The 25% reciprocal tariffs went into effect on August 7, and the 'penalty tariffs', per the White House, will kick on August 27. On August 6, the Ministry of External Affairs called Mr. Trump's decision 'extremely unfortunate', 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable', promising to protect India's national interest. While there is no official explanation on what went wrong in trade talks between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on August 7 that he would never compromise on the interests of India's farmers, fishermen and dairy keepers, indicating that talks broke down over market access to the agricultural and dairy sectors.
This is a moment of crisis for India-U.S. ties. When Mr. Trump returned to the White House, many countries were worried about the effect it would have on their bilateral ties with the U.S. India was not among them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Mr. Trump at the White House in February, a few weeks after Mr. Trump assumed office. Tensions, however, started rising after the May fighting between India and Pakistan that followed the Pahalgam terror attack. While Mr. Trump claimed that he averted a nuclear war between the two countries through his intervention, India's position is that Pakistan asked for a ceasefire and India agreed to it. How the tariff crisis is going to affect India's ties with the U.S., which many believe is one of the most consequential bilateral strategic partnerships of the 21st century? Will India cave in to U.S. pressure or an aggravated India would take more steps to bolster its cooperation with Russia and other countries in the Global South? [(Trump clearly prefers China over India for trade).] Read this explainer by Suhasini Haidar.
Netanyahu's Final Plan
Israel is coming under a lot of pressure to end its war in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed at least 62,000 people, including more than 18,000 children. The world's leading genocide scholars and human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, believe Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. Many prominent Israelis, including a former Prime Minister, say Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. A group of former IDF and intelligence chiefs urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in a recent letter. France, a close Israeli ally, has said it will recognise the state of Palestine next month. Britain and Canada plan to do the same. Australia announced on August 11 it will also recognise Palestine in the coming weeks. More countries from the Western alliance system plan to follow suit. Israel is also seeing frequent protests, demanding the government end the war and get the hostages home.
Mr. Netanyahu's response? A new plan to escalate the war and take control of Gaza City. Ever since the war began, almost all of Gaza's 2.3 million people (the pre-war population) has been displaced. Hundreds of thousands of them are now living in a narrow coastal strip stretching from Gaza City in the north to Khan Younus in the south. It is this strip Israel is planning to attack now. The plan has triggered instant criticisms from across the world. But Mr. Netanyahu, who has the backing of Donald Trump, seems adamant about his plan. 'The way Israel has been conducting the war and its decision to expand the offensive only reinforce the argument that its intention has always been to take over the enclave, even at the cost of expelling its over two million residents,' writes The Hindu in this editorial. 'Israel is able to pursue this course only because of its military, financial and political support from the West, particularly the U.S.'
The Top Five
1. Decoding China, the lessons for a vulnerable India
China's determined moves to target India are part of a meticulously calibrated plan to safeguard its core economic interests and its internal stability, writes Shashi Tharoor.
2. Muhammad Yunus: The professor who rose to power
The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who became the 'Chief Adviser' of Bangladesh's post-Hasina interim administration, promises a peaceful transfer of power after next year's 'inclusive elections', in which the Awami League, now officially banned, will not be able to participate, writes Kallol Bhattacherjee.
3. India's presence amid a broken template of geopolitics
To get its economic and technological trajectory right, India needs to get its geopolitics right, writes T.S. Tirumurti.
4. Daniella Weiss: Settler godmother
As much of Gaza lies in ruins amid the ongoing war, the extremist Israeli settler leader finds an opportunity to send Jews back to the Palestinian enclave, writes Stanly Johny.
5. Shyam Sankar: Disruptor-in-chief
The Mumbai-born CTO of Palantir is leading the company's rapid expansion in software and AI sectors through large government contracts, writes Smriti S.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
NITI Aayog meet calls for reforms to boost India's R&D ecosystem
Removing bureaucratic and procurement bottlenecks through AI-enabled systems, pre-approved vendor lists, and digitised approvals, and establishing a centralised funding database were among the key recommendations made at the fifth regional consultative meet on 'Ease of Doing Research and Development (R&D)'. The meet, jointly initiated by NITI Aayog and hosted by the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (GUJCOST), concluded on Wednesday at Science City, Ahmedabad, with a renewed vision to make India a globally competitive hub for research and innovation. The two-day deliberation, held on August 12 and 13 brought together over 110 eminent leaders from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Participants shared insights and actionable recommendations to simplify administrative processes, accelerate translational research, strengthen institutional competitiveness, and enhance access to knowledge resources. Prof Vivek Kumar Singh, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog, opened the discussions by stressing upon 'the urgent need for structural reforms, agile regulatory systems, and collaborative models to unlock India's R&D potential'. 'Scientific advancement demands not only investments but also an ecosystem that is agile, transparent, and enabling,' he said. Delivering the valedictory address, Dr V K Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI Aayog, urged stakeholders to transform Indian research institutions into globally benchmarked centres of excellence. He called for 'simplification of compliance procedures, institutional benchmarking, and stronger academia–industry linkages to drive high-impact and self-reliant research'.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
26 minutes ago
- First Post
'Not a single policymaking person who knows Russia,Ukraine' as Trump heads for talks with Putin
Negotiations with Moscow have been handled not by diplomats steeped in years of Russia policy, but by real estate developer Steve Witkoff, who has no background in foreign affairs When Donald Trump steps into a room with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday (August 15), the setting will be a far cry from his first headline-grabbing encounter with the Russian leader in Helsinki six years ago. That summit went so poorly that Fiona Hill, his then top Russia adviser, later admitted she had considered faking a seizure to shut it down. This time, there are unlikely to be any Russia specialists within arm's reach of the president. In his second term, Trump has purged swathes of the federal workforce, elevated loyalists over seasoned experts and sidelined the traditional machinery of foreign policy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Negotiations with Moscow have been handled not by diplomats steeped in years of Russia policy, but by real estate developer Steve Witkoff, who has no background in foreign affairs. Former ambassador Eric Rubin says Trump 'does not have a single policymaking person who knows Russia and Ukraine advising him', Financial Times reported. Ordinarily, before a meeting of this magnitude, the US national security council (NSC) would be corralling input from across government to prepare the president for anything Putin might throw at him. Known for his command of detail and skill in exploiting gaps in an opponent's knowledge, Putin has been in power for a quarter of a century. That process has been hollowed out. Dozens of foreign policy and national security officials were forced out of the NSC in May. More than 1,300 state department employees were let go last month, including many analysts covering Russia and Ukraine. The diplomatic corps has also been hit hard; the American Foreign Service Association estimates around a quarter of foreign service officers have quit since January. Top posts dealing with Russia and Ukraine remain unfilled. The administration insists the cuts will make the government 'leaner' and more responsive. Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said Trump still gets input from leaders at the state department, NSC and intelligence agencies before making decisions. But in practice, the most senior roles are concentrated in the hands of a few figures, including secretary of state Marco Rubio, who is also serving as acting national security adviser. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump has said the Alaska meeting will be 'a feel-out' and that he will know 'within two minutes' whether progress is possible. 'I may say 'lots of luck, keep fighting', or I may say 'we can make a deal',' he told reporters this week. For many former officials, that approach rings alarm bells. Daniel Fried, a former ambassador to Poland, warned: 'You can't have him and Witkoff winging it because they just don't know enough. You need somebody in the room who can just look at the president, roll his eyes and shake his head.' In Helsinki in 2018, Trump publicly questioned his own intelligence agencies' findings on election interference, accepting Putin's denials instead. Back then, he had what were described as the 'adults in the room' – experienced hands who tried to temper his impulses. John Bolton, his national security adviser at the time, recalled trying to brief Trump on nuclear weapons during the flight to Helsinki, while the president watched a football match. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This time, those guardrails are gone. Fried put it bluntly: 'This is not an administration that is going to have an experts-led process.'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
26 minutes ago
- First Post
India plans to open uranium sector to private players to boost nuclear expansion
The move aims to attract billions of dollars and support the country's ambitious goal to expand nuclear power capacity 12 fold by 2047 India is planning to open its uranium mining, import, and processing sector to private companies, ending a decades-long state monopoly, according to a Reuters report, citing government sources. This move aims to attract billions of dollars and support the country's ambitious goal to expand nuclear power capacity 12 fold by 2047. In April, Reuters had reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is also planning to relax requirements to allow foreign players to take a minority stake in power plants. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Currently, India's government tightly controls uranium mining and processing due to concerns over nuclear material misuse, radiation safety, and strategic security. It will, however, continue to manage spent uranium reprocessing and plutonium waste handling, in line with international norms. To meet rising demand for nuclear fuel amid this expansion, the government is drafting a regulatory framework that would allow private Indian firms to participate in mining, importing, and processing uranium. The policy is expected to be announced within the current fiscal year, reported Reuters. In addition, private companies may be permitted to supply critical control system equipment for nuclear power plants, sources said. Globally, countries such as Canada, South Africa, and the United States already allow private firms to mine and process uranium. Domestic supply not enough According to government data, India has an estimated 76,000 tonnes of uranium — enough to power 10,000 megawatts of nuclear energy for 30 years. However, sources cautioned that domestic reserves would cover only about 25% of the fuel needed to support the country's planned nuclear expansion. The remaining demand would require imports, along with a significant boost to uranium processing capacity. In its February 1 budget announcement, the government revealed its intention to open up the nuclear sector, though it did not provide specifics. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The move has since prompted several major Indian conglomerates to begin drafting investment plans. Still, experts warn that implementing the policy may face hurdles, as revising existing legislation could prove legally and politically complex. 'It's a major and bold initiative by the Indian Government which is critical for achieving the target,' Reuters quoted Charudatta Palekar, independent power sector consultant, as saying. 'The challenge will be to define quickly the rules of engagement with private sector,' Palekar added. New Delhi will have to change five laws, including the ones regulating mining and electricity sectors and India's foreign direct investment policy to enable private participation in many identified activities, the sources said. With inputs from agencies
