India is proving that partnership with the United States does not mean surrender. By defending its farmers, protecting core industries, and refusing to bend on sovereignty, India is standing up to U.S. pressure with confidence. This is good for India, because it safeguards livelihoods and ensures long-term economic resilience. It is good for the world, because it strengthens multipolarity and shows that no nation, however powerful, can dictate terms unchallenged. A self-reliant, assertive India is not just rising — it is reshaping global balance for the better.

What we’re seeing is really an India–Trump discord, not a breakdown of India–U.S. relations. Trump is temporary and his presidency is bound by term limits and domestic U.S. politics. Midterms and the next election cycle could change the policy mood in Washington. India–U.S. relations are deeper and they rest on long-term strategic, economic, and people-to-people ties (IT, diaspora, defense cooperation, Indo-Pacific strategy). These won’t vanish because of one leader’s negotiating style. India is pushing back against Trump’s specific demands on farm, dairy, and trade imbalances, but that doesn’t mean it is turning away from America. It simply means India won’t compromise on its red lines.

It is best to see this phase in India-US relations as a temporary friction with a current transient phase of transactional relations not based on principles of equality and fairness.

Not Anyone's Pawn

India is framing its policies from India’s interests, not from US/EU perspectives. While highlighting  the  multipolar dynamics (India, BRICS, Global South, Africa, Latin America) as equally important players shaping the world order. India is not sugarcoating US arm-twisting while avoiding unnecessary rhetoric in retaliation.

India is placing its actions in a global context (e.g., how EU, China, ASEAN respond to similar US demands) so it’s clearer that India is not “out of line” but part of a broader balancing trend.

India has made it clear that it will not be anyone’s pawn. If the West wants India to play the role of a balancer in the emerging world order, then it must engage with India in terms of equality, not condescension. That means respecting India’s sovereignty, not dictating whom it can trade with or what weapons it can buy. It means offering fair market access instead of pushing one-sided concessions that endanger Indian farmers and workers. It means sharing advanced technologies through real partnerships, not guarded licenses. It means consulting India on global rules — from climate change to digital governance — as a rule-setter, not just an invitee.

A confident, autonomous India strengthens multipolarity, ensures stability in Asia, and prevents the world from tilting into any one country’s hegemony — American, Chinese, or otherwise. If the West truly values India as a balancer, then it must treat India with respect due to a pole of power in its own right.

West Needs India

The West needs India today more than India needs the West. This leverage is being used with clarity and confidence. India is ready to cooperate where it gains — in technology transfers, defense co-production, green energy, and access to Western markets. But India must draw uncompromising red lines on agriculture, dairy, pharmaceuticals, and strategic autonomy in foreign policy.

India, by its action, is messaging to be treated as an equal pole in the global order, not as a counterweight or client. That means demanding fair trade terms, pushing for permanent UN Security Council reform, and ensuring the Global South’s voice is heard in global financial and climate negotiations. At the same time, India is deepenig ties with Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and ASEAN, so no bloc can ever hold it hostage.

This is the moment for India to act not as a follower, but as a balancer in demand. If handled firmly, India can turn Western courting into concrete gains — without sacrificing sovereignty or core national interests.

Russia–India–China Axis?

If RIC comes together, it is nothing short of a paradigm shift in world order. India would move from being courted by the world as a “balancer” to being a core architect of multipolarity. And the LAC issue, while important, would look small compared to the benefits of a Eurasian strategic realignment. The border clash, though sensitive, is not existential. The U.S. and EU would no longer be able to dominate the global order. Asia would clearly become the center of gravity for world politics and economics. Even on issues like sanctions, trade rules, or climate policy, the West would lose unilateral leverage.

RIC together is almost 3 billion people, vast energy reserves, advanced tech, manufacturing, and a rising middle class. Integration could create the world’s largest internal market, reducing dependence on Western-controlled systems (SWIFT, dollar trade, etc.). A common payment/finance system (already being discussed in BRICS) would weaken U.S. dollar dominance.

India could gain cheaper energy (via Russia), advanced tech collaboration (with China), and stronger supply chains. Russia would avoid isolation by pivoting eastward with both China and India. China would find stability in its western and southern neighborhood, freeing resources for global expansion.

NATO and US alliances would feel immediate strain — Europe, Japan, Australia would face a new reality. The Global South would rally behind such an axis, as it promises an alternative pole to Western dominance. Multipolarity would no longer be theory — it would be locked in.

An Independent Balancer

The West should accept that multipolarity is inevitable and respect the sovereignty of India. It should stop pressuring India on farm/dairy concessions, Russian defense deals, or oil imports and accept that India will pursue strategic autonomy, not automatic alignment. The West should also recognize India as a pole in its own right — not just a counterweight to China or a pawn in their game

In its strategic consultation the West should involve India in shaping the rules of global governance — WTO reforms, digital economy, climate negotiations, UN reforms and stop treating India as an “invitee” and start treating it as a rule-setter. It should also respect India’s diversified arms purchases instead of demanding monopoly contracts.

If India is treated as an independent balancer, global multipolarity becomes stable. If the West instead tries to “arm-twist” India, it only drives India closer to Russia–China alignment. A respected, autonomous India helps prevent both Western hegemony and China-centric hegemony — creating a truly balanced order.

(The author is an Indian Army veteran and a contemporary affairs commentator. Views expressed are personal. He can be reached at  kl.viswanathan@gmail.com )