US President Donald Trump may have sought to showcase his peacemaking credentials by claiming to broker the ceasefire between India and Pakistan but according to former Pentagon official Michael Rubin, the cost of his boasts could be measured in billions of dollars and years of strategic trust.
“By bragging about how he could leverage trade to stop fighting,” Rubin wrote in the Washington Examiner, “not only did Trump draw moral equivalence between terror-sponsoring Pakistan and terror-victim India, but he signaled to India that the whims of U.S. leaders would endanger its defense supply chain into the future.”
Rubin’s criticism comes amid Trump’s repeated claims that he was instrumental in brokering a truce between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Trump has repeatedly taken credit for diffusing tensions by threatening to withhold trade benefits unless both sides agreed to halt hostilities. “Let’s stop it,” Trump recalled saying. “If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not gonna do any trade.” He added, “People have never really used trade the way I used it.”
But Rubin argues that such rhetoric jeopardises years of deepening strategic alignment between India and the United States. "From President George W. Bush to President Joe Biden, bilateral ties strengthened with every administration so that the United States and India appeared poised to become the partnership that would strategically define the 21st century," he wrote.
New Delhi, historically non-aligned and reliant on Russian defence platforms, Rubin said, claiming that it had been gradually turning to the US for major arms deals, including talks over acquiring F-35 stealth fighters.
"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced India to reconsider its strategy. With Russia bogged down in Ukraine, Moscow defaulted on several billion dollars in defense deliveries to India on aircraft engines and weaponry."
Trump himself, during a February press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had predicted “many billions of dollars” in future defence sales.
Now, Rubin warns, Trump’s casual threat to weaponise trade has undermined Indian trust. “Trump has pushed American defense workers under the bus to make France great again,” Rubin wrote. “Sometimes, the cost of bragging can be measured in billions of dollars.”
While Trump framed the ceasefire as a triumph of his diplomatic skill, “Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire,” he said. India has flatly denied any US role. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made no mention of US mediation in his address to the nation.
Meanwhile, the US State Department sought to temper Trump’s remarks describing him as a “peacemaker” and calling for direct talks between the two countries, India made it clear that third-party intervention, even rhetorical, was unwelcome.
"What we are happy to see is a ceasefire. We want to encourage and see direct talks between the parties. Taking a step back, the President is a peacemaker, and we celebrate the advancement of peace. We hope the ceasefire will be maintained," Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Tommy Pigott said.
“By bragging about how he could leverage trade to stop fighting,” Rubin wrote in the Washington Examiner, “not only did Trump draw moral equivalence between terror-sponsoring Pakistan and terror-victim India, but he signaled to India that the whims of U.S. leaders would endanger its defense supply chain into the future.”
Rubin’s criticism comes amid Trump’s repeated claims that he was instrumental in brokering a truce between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Trump has repeatedly taken credit for diffusing tensions by threatening to withhold trade benefits unless both sides agreed to halt hostilities. “Let’s stop it,” Trump recalled saying. “If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not gonna do any trade.” He added, “People have never really used trade the way I used it.”
But Rubin argues that such rhetoric jeopardises years of deepening strategic alignment between India and the United States. "From President George W. Bush to President Joe Biden, bilateral ties strengthened with every administration so that the United States and India appeared poised to become the partnership that would strategically define the 21st century," he wrote.
New Delhi, historically non-aligned and reliant on Russian defence platforms, Rubin said, claiming that it had been gradually turning to the US for major arms deals, including talks over acquiring F-35 stealth fighters.
"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced India to reconsider its strategy. With Russia bogged down in Ukraine, Moscow defaulted on several billion dollars in defense deliveries to India on aircraft engines and weaponry."
Trump himself, during a February press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had predicted “many billions of dollars” in future defence sales.
Now, Rubin warns, Trump’s casual threat to weaponise trade has undermined Indian trust. “Trump has pushed American defense workers under the bus to make France great again,” Rubin wrote. “Sometimes, the cost of bragging can be measured in billions of dollars.”
While Trump framed the ceasefire as a triumph of his diplomatic skill, “Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire,” he said. India has flatly denied any US role. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made no mention of US mediation in his address to the nation.
Meanwhile, the US State Department sought to temper Trump’s remarks describing him as a “peacemaker” and calling for direct talks between the two countries, India made it clear that third-party intervention, even rhetorical, was unwelcome.
"What we are happy to see is a ceasefire. We want to encourage and see direct talks between the parties. Taking a step back, the President is a peacemaker, and we celebrate the advancement of peace. We hope the ceasefire will be maintained," Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Tommy Pigott said.
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