Why, for India, reclaiming economic and political independence requires reducing reliance on the U.S.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak 

The recent imposition of a 50 percent tariff on Indian exports to the United States under the Trump administration highlights the inherent contradictions in India’s so-called strategic partnership with the U.S. Despite efforts by Indian liberals and conservatives to celebrate this alignment, the move underscores a historical pattern in American foreign policy that has often undermined India’s sovereignty and development.

From technological embargoes to trade restrictions, U.S. policy toward India has frequently reflected a strategic calculus designed to maintain American global dominance. Even historical aid programs such as the U.S. Public Law 480 (PL-480), while providing food assistance during shortages in the 1950s, were also structured to increase India’s dependence on American agricultural exports. India countered this dependency by building an integrated Public Distribution System (PDS) and launching the Green Revolution, which laid the groundwork for food sovereignty and long-term food security through state-supported procurement, storage, and distribution mechanisms.

The economic reforms initiated in 1991 by the Congress Party and later deepened by the BJP have gradually eroded this self-reliance, weakening the PDS and intensifying the rural agrarian crisis. The latest tariff hike serves as a pressure tactic to push India toward further liberalization, particularly in agriculture, which could open the domestic market to U.S. agribusinesses—potentially at the cost of Indian farmers’ livelihoods and national food security.

American foreign policy has consistently aligned with reactionary and authoritarian regimes across Asia to suppress anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, and democratic movements. Historically, U.S. strategies have included fostering regional tensions, from India-Pakistan and India-China to even India-Bangladesh, to destabilize cooperative frameworks in Asia. American support for Pakistan’s military, interference in Afghanistan, and broader geopolitical maneuvering reflect a pattern of advancing its interests through conflict and division.

The U.S. has also criticised India’s continued trade with Russia, especially in oil and defence, while maintaining its own commercial ties with Moscow. This selective application of principles reveals a broader strategy aimed at isolating India from long-standing partnerships that challenge U.S. global influence. The attempt to draw India into confrontations—whether through military alliances like the QUAD or trade disputes—is part of a larger effort to reshape Asian geopolitics in ways that prioritize U.S. strategic control.

India’s neutral stance on the Russia–Ukraine conflict, with its calls for peaceful resolution, contrasts with the U.S. approach that has prolonged the war under the pretext of defending Ukraine. Rather than promoting peace, this approach appears to be aimed at weakening Russia while reinforcing the U.S. defence industry and strategic dominance. The resulting pressure on India to buy American defence equipment and adopt pro-Western positions reflects an increasingly coercive dimension to U.S.–India relations.

The rise of American protectionism, combined with its attempts to reignite Cold War-style bloc politics through initiatives like the “Asian NATO,” poses long-term challenges for India’s strategic autonomy. These efforts not only risk entangling India in regional conflicts but also threaten to reduce its role to that of a junior partner in a U.S.-led order.

The decline of the Non-Aligned Movement and the collapse of the Soviet Union have facilitated a period of unchecked U.S. hegemony, during which American interventions have destabilized several regions—from the Middle East and Africa to Latin America and Eastern Europe. However, emerging powers across the Global South are increasingly questioning this hegemony. In response, the U.S. has intensified its reliance on economic coercion, trade wars, and military alliances to counter these shifts.

For India, reclaiming economic and political independence requires reducing reliance on the U.S., mobilising domestic resources, strengthening South-South cooperation, and diversifying global trade and strategic partnerships. Aligning too closely with American foreign policy under the banner of “strategic partnership” risks undermining national sovereignty, economic self-reliance, and the broader global struggle for a more just and multipolar world order.

India must remain guided by its historical commitment to anti-imperialism and non-alignment, which have long been pillars of its international engagement. A recalibration of foreign policy—one that safeguards autonomy and contributes to regional and global peace—is essential for protecting both India’s national interests and its role in shaping a more equitable international system.