TS Tirumurthy, a former US ambassador and permanent representative of the United Nations, New York, says that the US first has to decide that they see India fit in their plans. In an interview with HinduMr. Tirumurthy talked about the challenges and opportunities of foreign policy, which is facing India in an uncertain world, including its relations with China, the US and Russia. Edited excerpt.
What are your views with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to China to attend the SCO summit? Can we say that India and China are now settling in “new general” despite continuous differences?
I think we are still far away from reaching a new normal in ourselves Relationship with chinaYes, it is true that both sides have indicated the intention to move forward. We have certainly taken some initial steps, which are important, but perhaps more symbolic than the more symbolic, a melting such as the aerlink, to resume the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra, to liberalize the visa regime, etc. However, we still have been told about trade imbalance, market access to Indian goods, market access to Indian goods and their limits, for their side, day-road, construction, construction, construction, construction, construction, construction.
In addition, Chinese have become active again in our neighborhood. For example, during their important support to Pakistan Operation vermilion And their efforts to surround India either through our neighbors or through groups are all expressions of this. In addition, we will now have to deal with China with a neighbor with both power. For the first time, we have a superpower that shares a border with us. All this is changing the color of our relations with China. The old template is not enough to deal with China in both these avatars. Therefore, a lot should be done to restore the trust before reaching a new normal in our relationships. So far, our relations with China are extremely safe, which progress in this new general.
Some people argue that the global disruption since Donald Trump came to power has nearing India and China. Do you see us to see tariffs and trade policies that shape India’s approach to China, or is it part of independent policy from American pressure strategy?
While it is true that President Trump has interrupted Indo-American relations projectionI suspect that the American tariff made us closer to China in any concrete manner, as it was clear for both India and China that the four-year stand-off on the border was upside down. As a result, we have made a little step in October 2024 and worked on the first installment of some symbolic stages. However, what we have done in Tianjin is to show America that we have options, we can manage our differences with China and they should not be taken. But how serious these options are, which are currently facing more systemic problems that are currently facing with China as I have mentioned earlier. He said, where necessary, we should also find a common reason where possible, where possible. Neither the country is doing enough to find coordination in regional, pluralteral or global issues.
This takes us to the US-India relations, now faced unrest-50% tariff, friction on business and public criticisms from us repeatedly, etc. How do you read these events?
America must first decide that they see India fit in their things. Secondly, they must ensure that our relationship is not episodic by which I mean that every episode cannot subdue our relationship to the testing from fire. You will also see that countries that have captivated for US tariff threats and have agreed to unilateral deals, they are closest to America like European Union, Japan, South Korea etc. Without it, they are useless in the so -called Liberal World Order. The challenge for that order is real, for the first time, it is coming from within the US-however, when the US tried the same strategy with non-fingers like India, it is not working well. This is because we are willing to preserve our relations with America, but not at any cost.
In addition, naming and shading do not work well with our leadership, as we saw when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi moved out of President Nixon. The way America said after Pakistan Operation vermilion The water is even more hit. Put a punitive tariff for Russian oil buying The trade issue has been fully brought into the external geo -political element. The US is also asking the European Union and the G7 to impose 100% tariffs on India and China. We are also waiting to see how the US-China deal affects Indo-Pacific and of course, our geopolitical interests. This in turn will have a quad and so on. I am sure that both countries see values ​​in our partnership and that is why business talks are starting again. The US asked NATO countries to stop buying Russian oil, maybe the Democls will raise the sword on us at the panitive tariff.
Tension in Indo-US relations also makes India’s relations with Russia into headlines. With no end to the vision for Ukraine War, the Indian situation comes under major criticism from the US how do you assess India’s Ukraine policy?
I am confident that we took the right decision to stop the proposals of the United Nations Security Council on Ukraine in 2022 and called to return the diplomacy, where the valid interests of all the parties are addressed. But what I am constantly arguing for my writing is that India should play a more active role on Ukraine’s front, as a strategic step for very low criticism.
This does not mean arbitration, but to stay actively engaged, especially when we knew that the West is upset with us. I pointed to the active role played in the Korean War in the United Nations Security Council between 1951 and 1952, in which we were made the chairman of the neutral nation’s repatriation committee after the ceasefire. Operation Sindoor shows us that if we seek more association with our struggles and issues, we need to attach more with their struggles and issues, especially when geopolitics are determining economic and technical consequences. When I look at the current Parle between India and the European Union, France, Russia, America, etc., I only want us to do it earlier.
West Asia is another flashpoint. India, unlike most other global South members, survives Israel’s strong criticism on Gaza, but joined SCO and BRICS members to condemn Israeli attacks in Iran. What does these posts explain?
I am not sure that the global South has actually been vocal or impressive on the Gaza war. Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE remain on the occasion of Gaza war. His major interest was to overcome the danger of Iran and its proxy from the region, which Israel fulfilled to a great extent. The Gulf countries also want to normalize relations with Israel after signing the Abraham agreement with American help. You have noticed how he threw the red carpet for President Trump without pressing him to stop the Gaza war. India saw all this as a vengeance of its supporters of Israeli, which seeing our close bilateral relations with Israel. However, with the devastation in Gaza and the rapid decline in the West Bank, our situation is becoming unstable. Although we do not want to go beyond the Gulf and Arab world on the issue of Palestine, there are big interests in our field, although our interests do not necessarily match them. We hope that our recent more balanced articulation will be transformed into a more active connection by India in West Asia.
Critics say that India’s policy of “strategic autonomy” is under stress between the US -Chichina rivalry and Ukraine War. Do you believe that strategic autonomy still works for India, or it requires redistribution?
Strategic autonomy has worked for India so far since the time of PM Nehru’s non-comprehension, where we have refused to join one of the two Cold War Bloques-America and under the leadership of the Soviet Union, until today’s multi-sided, where we both join with great powers-America and China. This has given us space to make independent decisions. Just think if we were now “ally” from America or China, then we must be struggling in their wishes. In addition, strategic autonomy for great power -like great power is the way to emerge as a possible pole in an emerging multi -polar world. It is also about the leadership-showing the world that there is another way to join one of the two camps, such as our non-monotonous stand did for the developing world then.
How do you see changes in global order? What should India’s foreign policy guide in such an indefinite time?
There are definitely serious disruption in the global order. On the one hand, the force is tearing each other in a collision and violating international law. On the other hand, global challenges such as climate change, energy security, epidemic, AI and digital issues, cyber threats etc. are forcing the same country to cooperate and work together. He is irony. At which point these two forces are found, will determine the trajectory of the global order. In addition, we do not get very indifferent about a world system that we neither shaped nor it really helps us, even though we have learned to use it for our benefit despite all the obstacles. An example is our rise as an atomic power, where every comprehensible obstacle was placed in front of us at every point, including the restriction, and we still managed to overcome all of them and emerge as an atomic energy.
We were never for the status quo and were always called for meaningful improvement in the United Nations Security Council or other 1945 Architecture Linked Institutions such as World Bank, IMF or WTO. Looking forward, I can only say that as growing power, we need to be active. We are second to contribute to global commons such as vaccine friendships during Covid -19 or to compete with climate change, to contribute to global commons, however, the world hopes that we will play a big role in struggle and geopolitics. Nobody else can only keep our head down, focus on our own business and expect the third largest economy or wicks to become India by 2047. This template is broken. We need to correct our geopolitics.
