It’s getting easier for BRICS and Global South nations to defy the U.S., especially the large country members like India. From Andrew Korybko at korybko.substack.com:
The common denominator is India’s rivalry with China.
Trump recently made a show of doubling his 25% tariffs on India as punishment for its continued purchase of Russian energy and military-technical equipment. Influenced by Lindsey Graham, he expected that India would dump Russia after the costs of doing business with it spiked, the Kremlin would thus lose this important foreign revenue flow, and then Putin would make concessions to Ukraine in exchange for lifting these secondary sanctions in to avoid bankruptcy. Here’s why India defied the US:
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1. The “Voice Of The Global South” Can’t Bow To US Demands
India has presented itself as the “Voice of the Global South” since it hosted the first of these namesake summits in January 2023. It’s sought to play this role by virtue of being the most populous among them, commanding the largest economy of them all, and having the fast-growing one too. India is also one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. If it bows to US demands, then it’ll cede leadership of the Global South to China, which India doesn’t consider to be part of this category of countries anymore.
2. Discounted Russian Energy Accelerates India’s Economic Rise
India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and on pace to become the third-largest by 2028 due in no small part to its massive import of discounted Russian energy. Not only would India scramble to replace Russia’s one-third share of its oil supplies, which would lead to a surge in global prices that would decelerate its growth, but Russia would probably sell more oil to China at an even steeper discount to replace some of its lost revenue. That would be doubly bad for India’s objective interests.
Watching I Tried To Make Something In America.
A three front WAR of attrition with NO manufacturing due to bureaucratic red tape, no materials, no skilled workers?
If we click our heels together three times and wish real hard.
Honk, honk.