Best of BS Opinion: From trade wars to reform dreams, what connects?

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

Imagine going on a holiday in the mountains. You were excited about sharing photos of the surreal sunrise and that one perfect fog-draped valley. You had charged your phone to 100 per cent. But as soon as you reached there, there was no signal all day. Battery full, purpose gone. That’s what the world feels like right now — packed with power, ambition and declarations — but increasingly disconnected from delivery, clarity or cohesion. Let’s dive in. 

Trump’s new tariff wave, for instance, isn’t just another unpredictable lurch in US foreign policy. It’s a deliberate signal jam. As our first editorial argues, the confusion is the message. Tariffs are being justified on the fly, reshaping decades of trade structures without logic or empathy. The result? A fully-charged America potentially losing its grip on its own comforts, with consumers footing the bill for a protectionist fantasy. 

 

India, meanwhile, is trying to stay connected in the Indian Ocean neighbourhood. PM Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka wasn’t just a diplomatic handshake; it was a high-stakes tethering effort, notes our second editorial. As the first foreign leader to meet Sri Lanka’s new president, Modi frontloaded the moment with MoUs and symbolism. But Sri Lanka is still texting both China and India. Whether this trip turns into a lasting signal boost or just another missed connection depends on how quickly India delivers the promised infrastructure. 

At home, AK Bhattacharya reminds us that India’s reform conversation has never lacked ideas — just a functioning signal tower. The three process-level fixes he outlines — reviving expert committees, empowering specialised civil services, and rebuilding Centre-state forums — feel like long-overdue upgrades. Because without structural fixes, the best policy is just another unread message in the inbox. 

And what if the network we rely on to connect us is itself fractured? Vanita Kohli-Khandekar’s take on hit TV-show Adolescence reveals how today's algorithmic silos are breeding ideological loneliness. We scroll, we click, we isolate. The promise of digital connection has become a maze of curated truths, splintering discourse and deepening polarisation. There’s no collective moment anymore — just parallel feeds. 

Yet Shyam Saran’s review of The Nehru Years: An International History of Indian Non-Alignment by Swapna Kona Nayudu reminds us that disconnection isn’t new. Even Nehru’s India navigated contradictions between ideals and interests. But in balancing diplomacy and national interest, it always aimed to stay visible on the global radar — not just powered up, but truly connected. 

Stay tuned, and remember to stay charged, but never forget to check what you’re connected to!