Mint Quick Edit | Can India?s China drift cure America?s myopia?

On Friday, an appeals court in the US ruled most of President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs illegal, though they’ll stay in place long enough for its top court to review that decision.

Also Read: Nitin Pai: India must look east again as global relations get reshaped

Till January 2025, the US had pitched itself as a force for democracy against autocracy. Today, that binary risks being crushed under a White House jackboot. Unless its Supreme Court intervenes to enforce checks on presidential authority, the US could lose influence over world affairs, a key differentiator amid China’s rise as a source of capital and technology.

Also Read: Rajrishi Singhal: Look East to grasp why Trump is ghosting India

An India that’s agnostic to the colour of money and origin of innovation can adapt to power shifting east. In time to come, it’s America that could end up the global loser. This needs to be placed in an all-caps memo on the Oval Office desk in Washington.

Also Read: Devina Mehra: Why the US plays fast and loose with India but not China

If it doesn’t relieve US trade and foreign policy of myopia, then it’ll be a big point scored by those who argue elected leadership is too prone to ill-advised populism. A wobbly America is bad for the world, but mostly for itself.