Best of BS Opinion: How small missteps reshape the global big picture

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Ever looked into a cracked mirror? A small fissure can distort the entire reflection, turning clarity into split chaos. In today’s stories, we explore how minor missteps — overlooked cracks — ripple into monumental disruptions across global leadership, financial markets, policy-making, and cultural identity. Let’s dive in. 

Take global leadership. Our first editorial highlights that Donald Trump’s decisions to exit the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization may have been painted as sovereignty moves but have fractured the global order. By stepping back from climate finance and health initiatives, the US leaves a vacuum that nations like China are eager to fill — a refracted image of leadership shifting from collaboration to unilateralism. 

Closer home, India’s booming IPO market reveals its own cracks, as noted in our second editorial today. Sebi’s “when listed” trading proposal aims to regulate pre-listing transactions, mending the grey market’s opacity. While it promises transparency and smoother price discovery, speculation — the distortion — is an inevitable residue. 

On the geopolitical front, Shyam Saran further dissects Trump’s disruptive agenda, which hammers the delicate mirror of international relations. His increasing warmth toward China raises alarms about a potential US-China rapprochement, forcing India to recalibrate its strategy in an ever-shifting global reflection. 

Meanwhile, the Union Budget — as Rajani Sinha outlines in her column — offers a glimmer of repair. Measures to boost consumption, skill development, and industrial clusters aim to smooth fractures in India’s economic framework, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Yet, even the best efforts take time to address the deep cracks caused by domestic challenges and global turbulence. 

Finally, Amritesh Mukherjee’s review of Manu S. Pillai’s Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity reflects how cultural identity mirrors external pressures. From colonial critiques to nationalist ideologies, Hinduism transformed from a fluid, adaptive tradition into something more rigid and codified. Pillai’s exploration reminds us that identity, like a mirror, reflects inherent truths and external distortions alike. 

Stay tuned, and remember, a small crack in the mirror can distort everything!