Latest news with #BrahmaChellaney
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Expert Exposes Trump's Tariffs on India as Hypocritical Trade Ploy — Russian Oil Claims Just a Cover
New Delhi: U.S. President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on many Indian goods by 25 percent, adding to the earlier 25 percent tariffs, making it a total of 50 percent on several products. Officially, these tariffs were announced as a response to India's continued imports of Russian oil, which the U.S. claims supports Russia's war effort in Ukraine. However, according to geostrategist Brahma Chellaney, this claim is contradicted by how the tariffs have been applied in reality. Chellaney pointed out on X (Formerly Twitter): 'Another sign that Trump's punitive tariffs on India have little to do with Russian oil and everything to do with forcing a one-sided trade deal is this: Indian refined fuels like gasoline and diesel remain exempt from the latest 25 percent tariff hike. In other words, while claiming to punish India over Russian oil, Trump has hit Indian non-energy exports to the U.S. with steep tariffs — but spared the booming exports of fuel made from Russian crude. Many will see this as the height of hypocrisy.' — Brahma Chellaney This selective exemption shows that while the tariffs are positioned as a punishment for buying Russian oil, the booming Indian fuel exports that come from Russian crude are actually spared. It suggests that Trump's real goal may be to pressure India into accepting a trade deal heavily skewed in America's favor rather than strictly targeting Russian oil imports. India has strongly criticized these tariffs as unfair and a barrier to trade. Many experts agree the tariffs are more about economic leverage than addressing geopolitical issues, and India remains unlikely to stop Russian oil imports given their strategic and economic importance.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Why have relations between Trump and Modi nosedived so quickly?
The United States slaps 25 percent tariffs on a nation long viewed as an ally. The United States has imposed a punitive 25 percent tariff on India. US President Donald Trump warns that more could follow. It's a spectacular change from six months ago, when the leaders of the two nations declared their friendship at the White House. So what went wrong – and what will happen next? Presenter: Dareen Abughaida Guests: Brahma Chellaney – Professor of Strategic Studies at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi and a former adviser to India's National Security Council Elizabeth Threlkeld – Senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center Sumantra Bose – Political scientist and professor of International and Comparative Politics at Krea University in India
India.com
31-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Trump targets India-Russia friendship with penalty move, biggest reason for US President Trump's frustration was...,Bankrupt Pakistan...
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that India will pay a 25 per cent tariff and an additional penalty for the trade deficit. The tariffs will be imposed starting tomorrow, August 1. Trump's decision has drawn concerns from Congress and other opposition leaders. '…Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE – ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST 1st. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!', the US President in a post on Truth Social said. What prompted Trump to impose penalties on India's Russia ties? He stated that India has relied on Russia, in part, for nearly all of its military supplies and is one of Russia's largest buyers of Russian energy, alongside China. Meanwhile, India has consistently maintained that Russia is a trusted, all-weather ally that has supported it for decades. In a recent confrontation with Pakistan, India had engaged its S-400 air defense system, purchased from Russia. The U.S., which in the past had refused to supply weapons to India, now expresses frustration over India's continued defense ties with Russia. Why is the US frustrated with India's continued purchase of Russian oil? The announcement is being seen as a pressure tactic to get New Delhi to agree to demands made by the US, which has, in recent days, got favourable trade deals with major partners like Japan, the UK and the European Union. The penalty was announced as India has made large purchases of oil and military equipment from Russia. India is the first country to face a penalty for Russian imports. Previously, Trump slapped high tariffs on China but refrained from levying any penalty despite Beijing being Russia's largest oil importer. India's import of crude oil from Russia has risen from 0.2 per cent of total purchases before the Russia-Ukraine war to 35-40 per cent. New Delhi is the largest buyer of Russian oil after China. Brahma Chellaney, India's leading strategist, noted on social media platform X that using trade measures as instruments in economic warfare – such as former President Trump's decision to impose a 25% duty on Indian goods and impose sanctions on India for its continued purchasing of Russian oil and thus the first use of U.S. 'secondary tariffs' – was further worsening already strained bilateral relations. In a post on X(previously Twitter), Brahma Chellaney, India's leading strategist wrote,'Use of trade measures as economic warfare: Trump's decision to impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods — along with a punitive levy for India's continued purchase of Russian oil, in the first U.S. use of 'secondary tariffs' — threatens to further strain an already fraying bilateral relationship.' 'India refrained from retaliating against Trump's earlier tariffs on its auto parts, steel and aluminum exports, opting instead for negotiation (despite formally notifying the WTO of planned countermeasures). But with Washington pressing maximalist demands for unfettered access to India's vast and expanding market, progress on a bilateral trade deal has stalled,' he added. According to the media reports, experts believe that the issue of buying Russian oil will not be something that India would be willing to compromise on simply because the United States asked. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said India will act in the interests of its citizens and will buy oil from whichever country sells it for the best price. India has stood up for its choice to purchase Russian oil since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In December 2022, Jaishankar commented that he recognized that there was a war in Ukraine and that Europe has its view of the conflict but the decisions Europe makes for its energy needs is its own business. However, he emphasized that Europe should not expect India to act differently while doing the same for itself. How does Pakistan's economic situation relate to Trump's anger towards India? Hours after announcing 25 per cent tariffs with additional penalties on India, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) announced a trade deal with Pakistan, touting a joint initiative to develop oil reserves in India's terror-harbouring neighbour and even floated the idea that 'some day' Islamabad might sell oil to New Delhi. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the United States and Pakistan are currently in the process of selecting the oil company for the partnership.
Nikkei Asia
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
The Dalai Lama's succession struggle could shake Asia and the world
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama delivers an address via video message to the inaugural session at the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference at the Dalai Lama Library and Archive in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, on July 2. © Reuters Brahma Chellaney, a professor of strategic studies at the independent New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research and fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, is the author of nine books, including "Water: Asia's New Battleground," which won the Bernard Schwartz Book Award. With the Dalai Lama turning 90 on July 6, anxiety over his succession has reached a critical point. For Tibetans, the stakes are existential. But for China, the potential vacancy offers a strategic opening to tighten its grip on Tibetan Buddhism.
Hans India
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
India should be cautious about Pakistan's false claims: Op Sindoor
While India is struggling to protect the common man living on the borders against Pakistan army-supported terrorists, some international powers are keen on testing the sophistication of Pakistan's imported arsenal. However, the results proved far from decisive. India carried out precision airstrikes on nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It was very close to war, but India acted with restraint and targeted only terrorist camps and military bases, and not civilians. India can target every system at Pakistan's base, but Air Marshal AK Bharti explained that the country has maintained restraint despite its high capability. Our military operation, Operation Sindoor, targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, especially militant camps in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, and Bahawalpur. Despite these setbacks, Pakistan breached the ceasefire within hours after the May 10 agreement. It was an attack from Pakistan! On May 8-9, Pakistan launched a massive drone attack using around 300-400 drones, targeting 36 locations in India, including military bases and religious sites like those in Srinagar and Naliya. India suffered serious human losses because of mindless terror. Still, the IAF's response was directed only at military installations, avoiding civilians and collateral damage. Pakistan launched a massive drone attack on Indian cities, while our fully prepared air defence forces successfully countered the drone attacks, preventing any damage to the intended targets. Pakistan launched its own military operation, targeting several key bases in India. They allowed civilian aircraft to fly out of Lahore during the drone attacks, including international passenger aircraft, which posed a significant challenge for India's response. Yes. Indian air defence shot down most of the drones, and no major damage occurred. Japan Times' report Well-known columnist, Brahma Chellaney wrote in his column, 'The Japan Times,' that the J-10Cs launched multiple PL-15E missiles at Indian targets, but there is no independent verification of successful hits. India's integrated air defences withstood the onslaught, gaining air superiority'. Every Indian, and our army, felt proud 'by the conflict's end, Indian airstrikes had crippled major Pakistani air bases — including Nur Khan and Bholari — without suffering any confirmed retaliatory damage. Nur Khan, near Pakistan's nuclear command and army headquarters, was particularly symbolic. Its precise targeting by Indian cruise missiles signaled a calibrated message: Even high-value, well-defended assets are not beyond reach.' And 'Pakistan reportedly launched 300 to 400 drones in a single night, yet satellite imagery showed little damage on Indian soil. India, by contrast, relied on precision standoff weapons — especially the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile, codeveloped with Russia, which successfully hit high-value targets in Pakistan with minimal risk to Indian military personnel.' The Japan Times wrote that India and China remain locked in a military standoff at the Himalayas and this was triggered in 2020 by Chinese encroachments on Indian border lands. Despite diplomatic moves to ease tensions, both countries continue to mass troops and weaponry along the disputed frontier. The combat data generated from the conflict with Pakistan offers India an invaluable edge in anticipating Chinese capabilities and countermeasures. Meanwhile, Pakistan claimed that they had shot down at least five Indian fighter jets on the first day. But there was no proof, no wreckage photos and satellite imagery to corroborate the claim. The Indian military dismissed the allegation, stating that all its pilots had returned safely. It was a major embarrassment for Pakistan. Its Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was under fire for promoting misinformation in the wake of Operation Sindoor. False and fake Readers should use fact-checkers like Factly. Fact: This video showing visuals of a crashed fighter jet being lifted by a helicopter is AI-generated. It was uploaded on May 3, before the start of 'Operation Sindoor'. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE'. 'Factly' explained, 'We found discrepancies in the viral video, prompting suspicion that it might have been generated using AI. To gather more information, we conducted a reverse image search of the key frames, which led us to the same video uploaded on a YouTube channel on May 3, three days before Operation Sindoor. In that video, it is described as an AI-generated scene showing a crashed fighter jet being lifted by a helicopter'. BrahMos: Standout performer It is called Brahmastra against our rivals 'The BrahMos missile, already exported by India, emerged as the standout performer during the conflict. Further, the newspaper commented, ''This was not a conventional border conflict, but a high-tech showdown featuring drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, and long-range air defences. While India and Pakistan were the primary belligerents, a third power — China — played a pivotal, if indirect, role…. Beijing's involvement via the supply of advanced weapon systems and real-time satellite reconnaissance data to Pakistan turned the engagement into a revealing trial run for Chinese arms in a live combat setting. It was reported by the media that IAF Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan had on May 31 rejected Pakistan's claims that it had shot down six Indian warplanes during Operation Sindoor, calling the information 'absolutely incorrect'. The CDS added, 'what is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being downed'. General Chauhan clarified that the good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake, which was made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and fly our jets again, targeting at long range'. He stated that 'the backbone of Pakistan' was badly damaged. Congress questions: Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Jairam Ramesh wanted to know why the Prime Minister did call for an all-party meeting on the issue 'Why did people learn about the operation through an interview with General Chauhan in Singapore?' 'Were some Indian jets destroyed in the early stages? Why no clear info? Some Telangana leaders accused the Centre of giving in to pressure from the US President Donald President Trump and hastily rushing into a ceasefire. Jairam Ramesh said on X that the Centre had not taken Parliament into confidence even as the nation gets to know of the first phase of Operation Sindoor. The Chief Minister of Telangana claimed that the Centre was afraid of Trump's pressure and had surrendered to the ceasefire. Citizens should verify India is under threat not just from terrorists and enemy countries, but also from fake news and social media rumours. Criticism is welcome in a democracy, but it must be responsible and based on facts. National security should come before politics. Let's support our armed forces, verify information, and stay united. Pakistan can never be trusted. (The writer is Professor of the Constitution of India and founder-Dean, School of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad)
