NAM Remains India’s Shield

India should not deviate from its non-aligned policy to effectively deal with the 50 per cent tariff imposed by the US on Indian goods after failing to gain entry into India’s vast farm and dairy sectors, and preventing New Delhi from purchasing crude oil from Russia. India can be assured that the US will eventually be forced to withdraw such illogical steps, which are completely against the spirit of the WTO agreement, provided it remains firm in maintaining equidistance from the superpowers. Through his actions, US President Donald Trump has made it clear that he desperately wants India by his side to corner both China and Russia—a plan which New Delhi has repeatedly rejected.

It seems Trump is not a good student of history, as he does not realise that the very basis of India’s foreign policy is non-alignment. India is, in fact, one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) along with Egypt and the erstwhile Yugoslavia. NAM was formed during the Cold War period when two superpowers were busy luring nations to join their camps. India was one of the first nations to show the courage to remain outside either bloc and, with the help of like-minded partners, raked up a movement that neither the US nor Russia could ignore.

After the fall of the former USSR, many international experts predicted the end of NAM, arguing that the forum had no future in a unipolar world. But several developments since the disintegration of the USSR have kept NAM relevant. One reason for NAM’s continuing relevance is that, in a unipolar world, the US has constantly tried to establish its hegemony over the globe. India is one of the few countries that has so far managed to resist the superpower, despite improving its ties with Washington. Realising that India will not meekly surrender before a strong opponent, the US is now trying to pressure it with unprecedented tariffs.

For the record, India’s exports to the US stood at around USD 87 billion in the previous fiscal year, which is about two per cent of the country’s GDP. With stiff tariffs, the US aims to slow India’s growth rate, in the hope of undermining its ambition of becoming a developed nation by 2047. The new tariff rates may also affect areas like visas for working professionals, which could impact the impressive growth rates India has enjoyed in recent years.

It is, therefore, time for India to enhance bilateral trade with non-aligned countries so that its growth is not affected by unreasonable US tariffs. It is heartening to note that BRICS nations are standing beside India. Hopefully, more countries will extend helping hands in the near future, enabling India to foil Washington’s designs to make it completely dependent on the US—even for its basic needs.