Lucre and liberty
PremiumNon-alignment is seen as a relic of the Cold War, but neutrality in commerce can be of value as Eastern economies thrive. Our trade calculus needs a rethink
The US has let the world’s conscience down before, so its Afghan abandonment wasn’t very aberrative. If President Joe Biden’s “America is back" was meant to assure us of its support for liberal democracy around the world, its actions since have only left us aghast. Nor has it upheld itself all that well lately as an example-setting country governed by a constitutional order. While how the US conducts itself overseas is for its electorate to judge, we must scale down our expectations of Washington’s ability and will to counter autocratic impulses in the eastern hemisphere.
As cost concerns now clearly dominate US foreign policy, India may need to recalibrate its Westward orientation on trade and strategic ties, which was hastened by Chinese aggression last summer. Non-alignment is seen as a relic of the Cold War, but neutrality in commerce can be of value as Eastern economies thrive. Our trade calculus needs a rethink. Beyond that, we could use diverse inputs for a low-budget plan of our own to help shape an Asian Century that makes space for lucre to be combined with liberty. A decline in American hard and soft power need not make that vital aim elusive
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