Best of BS Opinion: Starmer visit shows room for growth in India-UK trade

Today's Opinion pieces look at the potential for growth in India-UK trade, the hurdles to the Gaza peace plan, India's geopolitical opportunity, and Trump's hidden call for global change

Hello and welcome to Best of BS Opinion, our daily wrap of Business Standard's opinion page. 

The free trade agreement with the United Kingdom looks to be the most promising so far, says our first editorial, given that it may open up new pathways and markets for Indian firms. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's recent visit to India is a continuation of that deal; nonetheless, there is many a mile to go in ensuring the proper implementation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) in a way that benefits flow to all relevant parties. A key area of agreement will be that of mutual recognition agreements for professionals, since both nations have services-heavy economies. Despite such niggling worries, however, the India-UK partnership remains one of the most tension-free and transparent, with room for further expansion. 

 

US President Donald Trump will head to Egypt this week for the signing of a landmark ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But there remain a slew of obstacles, besides a lack of clarity, for the plan to work, points out our second editorial. For one, Hamas leaders have disavowed the signing of the peace plan, describing it as 'absurd', and it is unlikely they will disarm and give up the territories they have controlled for years. The release of hostages is a key sticking point even as Israel has ruled out releasing at least two high-ranking Hamas members. The proposed Board of Peace, to be helmed by Tony Blair, evokes memories of western colonialism. Then there is the issue of Israeli credibility: it is difficult to see any major retreat by it from the occupied areas. The open-ended nature of the proposals and the lack of good faith on both sides will remain a challenge. 

Both the US and China are engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken. However, neither of them has the economic wherewithal to keep it up for long, nor do they have an off-ramp that will allow them to blink without losing face. The situation opens up a geopolitical opportunity for India, but it first needs to get its own house in order, writes Ajay Shah. It must first reach a comprehensive trade and investment agreement with the US that can legitimately reinforce its position as a viable 'China +1' alternative. It also must enforce deep domestic structural reforms. It will have to sign Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with high-trust partners like the EU, the UK, Japan, and Taiwan. But above all, Indian firms will have to bite the bullet and globalise: as multinationals bring advanced knowledge systems into India, domestic firms must engage deeply with foreign capital, technology, and personnel. 

Trump dissed global climate change from a global stage, calling it a 'big con'. He was doing more than just that, though, writes Sunita Narain. By linking climate change to economic difficulties, immigration, and wokeism, he was insidiously attempting to turn middle- and working-class people against their governments that support climate change action. In doing so, she warns, Trump was playing at enacting regime change on a global level. She calls for pushing back against such branding because it is far more damaging than Trump’s words of insult. It is a careful strategy to destroy the 'rightness' of the idea of climate change. 

The Spanish-American War is perhaps the most misunderstood conflict in US history, writes Clay Risen. In his review of 'SPLENDID LIBERATORS: Heroism, Betrayal, Resistance, and the Birth of American Empire' by Joe Jackson, Risen notes that the so-called 'little war' in Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines was world-altering. It captured virtually every Spanish colonial territory and established itself as a major power along eastern Asia. It also turned its industrial and economic base into military might almost overnight. Even as it replaced Spain as a global power, it also showed itself willing to repeat the terrible things that Spain and other European countries had done around the world to native populations. Importantly, says Risen, the author writes with a sense of urgency about the need for Americans to examine the ease with which their country gets involved in faraway wars.