Earlier this week at the G7 summit in Canada, US President Donald Trump delivered what could be construed as a diplomatic snub to the USA’s most important Asian ally, India, by simply ignoring its right to have a place at the top tables of the world while espousing the entry of Russia and China into the “rich man’s club”.

Earlier, some five years ago, President Trump had floated an idea that briefly rattled the club of rich democracies: an expansion of the G7 to include countries like Russia, Australia, and South Korea.

India, the world’s fifth-largest economy and a key strategic partner of the United States, was mentioned only in passing—and then mostly forgotten—and now, in his latest missive, completely dropped from the ‘Big League’.

To make matters worse for India’s diplomats, Pakistan’s military strongman Syed Asim Munir, who recently made himself a field marshal, has been granted a ‘royal audience’ by none other than president Trump, arguably the most important leader on this planet.

Of course, it’s a different issue that the G7 itself is now in danger of really becoming the G6 after Trump cut short his visit to Canada and differences arose on issues ranging from Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine to how to deal with the USA’s aggressive trade policies, which spare neither foes nor friends.

The message, however subtle, is clear: when it comes to shaping the rules of the global order, India is still not quite “in”.

That omission, while overshadowed by Trump’s more controversial overtures to Moscow, underscores a deeper strategic dilemma facing New Delhi today. Caught between its historical posture of nonalignment and the gravitational pull of Western-led........

© Free Press Journal