Visit us at Network2020.org. 

The U.S. has slapped a 25% tariff on most Indian exports and threatened further measures over India’s continued oil and arms deals with Russia. India isn’t backing down—defending those ties as “time-tested” while rejecting an American offer of F‑35 fighter jets.

To make sense of this standoff, we’re revisiting a 2023 conversation on India’s foreign policy dilemma: Can the world’s largest democracy maintain strategic autonomy while deepening ties with the U.S. and other major powers? How does India balance its historic relationship with Moscow against its rivalry with Beijing? And what role will domestic politics play in shaping India’s future on the global stage?

This episode unpacks the forces driving India’s choices—and why its push for sovereignty could redefine alliances, trade, and security across the Indo-Pacific.

Music by Sergii Pavkin from Pixabay.