Category: First Person

In his August 7 The New York Times op-ed, United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer argued that President Trump’s current trade policy, which uses a combination of tariffs and negotiated deals, is fundamentally remaking the international economic order. He characterised this shift as a ‘Trump Round’ of trade negotiations—a new phase in global economic governance in which tariffs are recognised as a legitimate tool of public policy. Greer claimed that, as a result, U.S. trading partners are showing unprecedented readiness to grant market access, align on economic and national security priorities, and rebalance trade in a more sustainable way.

Speaking at the UNSC Quarterly Open Debate on 23 July on the agenda ‘The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,’ Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, called for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and an end to the human suffering in Gaza. He highlighted the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where acute shortages of food, fuel, and medical services persist, and the education system is in a dire state. Reiterating that India was the first non-Arab country to recognise the Palestinian state, he said India’s ‘commitment towards the Palestinian cause is unwavering’ as he called for a two-state solution ‘within recognised and mutually agreed borders.’

Speaking at the 62nd Convocation of IIT Madras on 11 July, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval emphasised the success of Op Sindoor, praising it for its precision, planning and execution. He also addressed the misleading media narratives circulating information about damage on the Indian side during Op Sindoor. Reflecting optimism in India becoming the ‘tremendous power’, NSA underscored the role of the ‘X Factor’—its youth, both individually and collectively. Additionally, he stressed the significance of developing indigenous communication systems and drew linkage between technology and warfare.

Addressing the British Parliament on 8 July as part of a state visit, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to Ukraine’s security and called for a ceasefire in the ‘war without end and without a strategic objective’ in Gaza. He further warned about the UK and France’s ‘excessive dependencies’ on the US and China, calling for de-risking of their economies and societies and criticising the ‘trade war’ as a violation of WTO norms. Macron’s state visit marks the first by a European leader since Brexit.

Delivering a keynote speech on 5 July to commemorate the death anniversary of former Labor leader John Curtin, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the former as the ‘founder’ of the Australia-US alliance, calling it Australia’s ‘most important defence and security partnership.’ He noted, however, that Curtin is remembered not only because he ‘looked to America’ at a critical time but because he ‘spoke for Australia,’ adding that his wartime actions were driven not by external pulls and pressures but by Australian vital interests in the Pacific region.

As the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officially ceases its foreign assistance programmes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a newsletter from the US State Department, chastised the agency for creating a global “NGO industrial complex at taxpayer expense” and treating its programmes as charitable work rather than “instruments of American foreign policy” intended to advance American national interests. He added that countries that benefited from USAID failed to appreciate the US’s generosity, and that any future assistance will be aligned with an America First foreign policy.