Trump's America & India's rise: Jaishankar breaks down big global shifts

Jaishankar reflects on global shifts, Trump's unpredictability, and India's rise, emphasising a multipolar world and India's growing influence in reshaping international politics

“This was a long time coming,” says External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar as he reflects on a world in flux. “Maybe I took [Trump] more at face value.”

 

In an interview with The Financial Times, Jaishankar discusses the dramatic shifts in global politics, India’s growing influence, and what Trump’s return to power means for the world. Having just wrapped up a whirlwind tour—including Trump’s inauguration, the Munich Security Conference, and high-level talks in Delhi—he isn’t caught off guard by the West’s uncertainty. Instead, he sees it as validation of India’s long-standing belief: the old world order is changing, and India is stepping up.

 

 

Trump’s foreign policy: No surprises for India

 

Jaishankar isn’t rattled by Trump’s approach to global politics. “Americans have become weary of global entanglements and feel the benefits are less and the costs more,” he says. For years, India has advocated a “multipolar world.” Now, as Jaishankar notes, “it’s become the American talking point.”

 

While many struggle to make sense of Trump’s unpredictability, India takes a pragmatic approach. “I don’t conduct foreign policy by saying I wish it could have been this or that. It’s happened,” he says. 

 

Jaishankar on Kissinger: ‘Not necessarily a compliment’

 

Jaishankar has often been compared to Henry Kissinger, the legendary strategist. His response? “In my part of the world, that’s not necessarily a compliment.”

 

Kissinger’s role in tilting US policy toward China and Pakistan is still a sore point in India. “I profoundly disagreed with him on many issues,” Jaishankar says, arguing that Kissinger lost his realist perspective by getting too close to Beijing. “When you are over-invested in any relationship, it clouds your judgment.”

 

India’s vision for a new world order

 

Jaishankar believes global rules should evolve to reflect today’s realities, not outdated post-World War II dynamics. “If we don’t have an order, then you are looking at a very anarchic world… very Hobbesian,” he warns.

 

India is pushing for reforms in global institutions like the UN Security Council. However, tensions with Canada over allegations regarding a Sikh separatist's assassination in 2023—claims India strongly denies—have complicated India’s diplomatic narrative.

 

India’s growing confidence: Non-western, not anti-Western

 

Jaishankar pushes back against the idea that India is drifting away from the West. Instead, he says India is simply standing on its own terms. “The old Indian elite tried to imitate the West as a sign of modernity. India today is more confident about being non-Western but not necessarily anti-Western.”

 

On accusations that Modi’s BJP government promotes religious majoritarianism, Jaishankar is dismissive. “We are a secular country… Secularism does not mean you suppress your own religion.”

 

Trump’s America & India’s strategic play

 

Jaishankar acknowledges trade tensions between India and Trump’s America, but remains optimistic. “I can see he [Trump] has his concerns,” he says, predicting a US-India trade deal soon.

 

And Trump’s unpredictability? Jaishankar isn’t worried. Unlike America’s traditional treaty-based alliances, India operates with more flexibility. The Quad (India, US, Japan, and Australia) is “more like a club,” he explains, offering strategic partnerships without rigid commitments.

 

India’s Russia stance

 

India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, despite Western pressure, has sparked criticism. Jaishankar, however, remains firm. “What happens is that people often try to make these big issues of principle. Usually, you invoke a principle when you want to persuade or pressure somebody to do something.”

 

India’s long-standing relationship with Russia, he argues, is based on historical consistency. “I’m a very empirical person. If I have 80 years of data suggesting a relationship has firm foundations, I would tend to use that as a working assumption.”

 

India and China

 

Could India and China mend ties? Jaishankar is clear: “You can’t have a bad situation on the border and then a good situation in the relationship.”

 

The 2020 border clashes remain a significant obstacle, and India isn’t willing to overlook them. What if Trump strikes a deal with China that sidelines India? Jaishankar shrugs. “Life is full of what-ifs… You don’t spend life worrying about what-ifs. You spend your life preparing for what-ifs.”