Letters to The Editor — August 29, 2025

The shock of U.S. tariffs

While India fervently believed that U.S. President Donald Trump would roll back his plan to slap a 25% tariff for the second time, it is disappointing that he has gone ahead with his decision. It only shows that Mr. Trump is obdurate and is fuelled by arrogance. He does not seem to take considered decisions. United States-dependent Indian exporters will face a serious financial crisis. The situation is disconcerting as it would take them years to neutralise their financial losses.

This decision of Mr. Trump will put all nations on notice — that the United States is not dependable. He has not realised that the United States is getting increasingly isolated which is not, in the long run, good for the Americans. His demands are outrageous.

V. Lakshmanan,

Tirupur, Tamil Nadu

In Mr. Trump’s view, India represents a disquieting asymmetry: a nation that presents itself as America’s “natural partner” yet withholds the reciprocity expected of one. India talks the language of shared values and strategic alignment, but keeps its markets closed, its diplomacy hedged, and its commitments deliberately vague. Unlike Europe or Japan, it does not pay an alliance premium. Unlike China, it is not a rival powerful enough to command respect. This in-between posture, benefiting from partnership without fully embracing it, makes India run contrary to Mr. Trump’s transactional instinct. New Delhi’s balancing act may impress diplomats, but to Mr. Trump it looks like opportunism. He finds the pinch sharp enough to whip up tariffs and keen to extract concessions.

R. Narayanan,

Navi Mumbai