Lesson from Iran war: India needs good ties with US, not necessarily with Trump
- TK Arun
- THE ECONOMIC TIMESUpdated: Mar 18, 2026, 14:40 IST IST
As US president, Donald Trump is commander-in-chief of the US armed forces, and able to use their lethal force to launch attacks on foreign shores, and even wars. Yet, he doesn’t represent the United States of America in its entirety. It is possible to argue that Trump misrepresents the US, that he is a misrepresentative for his nation.
Distinguishing between a transient leader and the nation itself has one strong implication. India has good reasons to maintain good relations with the US as a long-term, institutional partner in multiple endeavours, including countervailing China in the Indo-Pacific, but no reason to accommodate or defer to Misrepresentative Trump’s misadventures and irrational expectations.
Distinguishing between a transient leader and the nation itself has one strong implication. India has good reasons to maintain good relations with the US as a long-term, institutional partner in multiple endeavours, including countervailing China in the Indo-Pacific, but no reason to accommodate or defer to Misrepresentative Trump’s misadventures and irrational expectations.
