The world must look very different to Narendra Modi today than it did just a few months ago. When Donald Trump roared back into the White House, the atmosphere in New Delhi was electric.

A second Trump term, many assumed, would be a strategic jackpot. The personal chemistry between Modi and Trump from the first term had already become the stuff of political lore. India was riding high on the narrative of multipolar ascendancy – more friends, more influence, and more leverage than ever before.

But fast forward to August, and that confidence has curdled into confusion. The Trump 2.0 honeymoon never took off. Instead, tariffs did. A sweeping 25 percent duty walloped Indian exports, and Trump signaled that tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors would follow – part of a broader trade escalation, not confined to India. And that wasn’t even the sting. The real jolt came when Trump linked further penalties to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, accusing New Delhi of “fueling the war machine” and threatening secondary sanctions.

At the same time, Trump rolled out the red carpet for Pakistan’s army chief, praised Islamabad’s restraint, and even floated the idea of a Nobel Peace Prize – with the Pakistanis only too happy to oblige, making it official government policy to nominate him for it. For a government in New Delhi that had quietly started believing it........

© Business Recorder