US dominance ‘may not continue’ – Indian foreign minister

India’s foreign minister projected that the US election is unlikely to alter the country’s increasingly cautious approach to “global commitments.” Speaking at an event in Australia on Wednesday while the vote count was still ongoing, S. Jaishankar suggested that “we should prepare for a world where the kind of dominance and generosity that the US had in early days may not continue to be the norm.” 

Jaishankar noted that since the tenure of former US President Barack Obama, the US has become “significantly more cautious about its global commitments,” highlighting changes in its approach to deploying troops after the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, as well as current President Joe Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which Trump called “one of the greatest defeats in American history.” 

India’s top diplomat believes that this trend will continue irrespective of who is in the Oval Office. “President Trump may be more articulate and expressive in that regard,” he said during a panel discussion with the foreign ministers of Australia and New Zealand. However, he added, “it’s important to look at the US more nationally than purely in terms of the ideology of the administration of the day.”  

Trump has surpassed the 270 electoral college votes required to win the race for the White House. During the speech in which he declared victory, the Republican stated that he is “going to stop wars.” 

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Trump on his victory. The Indian leader said he looked forward to “renewing collaboration” to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries and to “work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability, and prosperity.” 

Over the past several years, India has maintained a strategic balance between expanding its ties with Washington and key European countries while also maintaining a robust trade and diplomatic relationship with Russia, despite pressure from the West to sever its ties with Moscow. 

Trump, who advocated enhancing trade ties with India while criticizing some of New Delhi’s trade and tariff policies, has recently vowed to strengthen this partnership with India and Modi, whom he called a “good friend.” In an X post last week, he extended wishes for Diwali, a major festival for the Hindu community, while taking aim at his rivals. “Kamala and Joe have ignored Hindus across the world and in America. They have been a disaster from Israel to Ukraine to our own southern border, but we will make America strong again and bring back peace through strength!” he stated. He further vowed to “protect Hindu Americans against the anti-religion agenda of the radical left.”