Best of BS Opinion: Fear and posturing in politics, policy, and war

Business Standard

2 days ago

We've all heard the stories of the witch on her broomstick, streaking across the sky, ominously laughing and casting spells to terrify entire villages. But look closely, and you might see something else: a figure clutching the broom a little too tightly, lashes of wind in her face, rage masking internal fear. Often, the loudest menace is just the most unsettled spirit. Power in such hands doesn't seek balance, it seeks control, a way to bend the world into something less frightening to itself. And while the witch believes she's in command, the trail she leaves behind can be chaos for everyone else. Let's dive in.
Take Donald Trump's tariff blitz for example. As our first editorial notes, his policies have upended long-settled trade norms. India's talks with Washington failed, and now tariffs could top 50 per cent on some goods, pricing much of $86.5 billion in exports out of the US market. Negotiations may still yield a deal, but the real spell being cast is on the structure of global trade itself, one that might not easily be undone.
Meanwhile, in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court's order to round up all stray dogs, whether sterilised or vaccinated, has sparked its own storm. Bypassing earlier norms, it has demanded vast shelters within eight weeks. Animal rights activists fear cruelty; municipal bodies fear logistics. Proven, humane models exist in other regions, yet years of neglect have brought us here, highlights our second editorial. In this story too, the harsh hand is a response to a deeper fear: of losing control over a problem long left to fester.
A K Bhattacharya notes, India's import duty scene has transformed since GST. Customs duty's share has slid from 1.5 per cent of GDP in 2016-17 to 0.7 per cent today, while IGST on imports has surged, shifting more revenue to states. The Centre, seeing its share erode, leans on cesses and surcharges. Like a witch guarding her sky route, each side is recalibrating to secure its patch of fiscal space.
And Ranjan Mathai tracks a similar mix of theatre and threat in oil politics. Trump's Pakistan oil talk and tariff pressure aim to sway markets and India's choices. With 90 per cent import dependence, India needs domestic exploration more than ever, yet taxation and underwhelming finds are limiting momentum. The witch's broom may be shaking; the real test is whether India builds its own wings.
Finally, in The Art of War and Peace: The Changing Face of 21st-Century Warfare by David Kilcullen and Greg Mills, reviewed by Shyam Saran, conflicts from Afghanistan to Ukraine show how fear of defeat and irrelevance can drive leaders to reckless action. The witch's lesson holds: the more fear governs the hand, the wilder the flight.
Stay tuned!