The world is witnessing a seismic shift in trade and geopolitics. What began years ago as a skirmish between Washington and Beijing has now expanded into a full-scale tariff war reshaping alliances across continents. Under President Donald Trump, tariffs have become not just an economic tool but a weapon of geopolitical coercion – one that spares no ally, punishes rivals, and redraws the map of power in real time.

In recent months, India and Brazil have found themselves in the crosshairs. Their continued purchase of discounted Russian crude has provoked Trump into imposing sweeping tariffs – 50 percent on Indian goods and similar measures against Brazil.

At the same time, Trump has urged the European Union to impose 100 percent duties on Chinese and Indian exports, portraying the Global South as enjoying “unfair advantages” at America’s expense. Canada, Japan, and the EU have also been targeted, proving that Trump’s tariff diplomacy recognizes no distinction between friend and foe. The consequences are profound: Washington is no longer leading a coalition of partners but instead bullying even its closest allies into submission.

For Trump, tariffs are not about fine-tuning the economy. They are about power. By tying punitive duties directly to foreign policy decisions – such as India’s oil imports from Russia – he has elevated tariffs to the level of strategic weapons. This approach effectively collapses the boundary between economic and security policy, turning trade into a battleground for political loyalty.

But such weaponization comes with risks. When the United States punishes partners for pursuing independent policies, it accelerates the very phenomenon it fears most: a decisive turn away from Washington and toward alternative alliances. Already, India and Brazil have begun strengthening bilateral trade, insulating themselves from US-aligned supply chains, and exploring deeper cooperation through BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Even within the United States, Trump’s tariff blitz has not gone unchallenged. A federal appeals court recently struck down parts of his tariff regime, ruling that “national emergency” provisions cannot be stretched to justify........

© Blitz