Former UK official slams White House Advisor Navarro's anti-India tirade as 'shame'

Washington, Sep 3 (IANS) Edward Price, a political economist and former head of Economic Policy in the British Consulate General in New York, has criticised the White House Senior Advisor Peter Navarro’s tirade against India, calling it a “shame.”

In an interview with IANS, Price asserted that Navarro’s attempt to “instruct” a sovereign nation like India entirely "misses the point of diplomacy.”

“It is also historically illiterate. India has always gone its own way, culturally, politically and otherwise. It is a unique country with a unique statecraft. We shouldn't be telling India what to do. We should be making it a fair and friendly offer,” he added.

On Monday, Navarro criticised India’s foreign policy, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent engagements with the Russian and Chinese leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, and declaring that “India needs to be with us, not Russia.”

Price, who is currently an Adjunct Instructor at New York University, argued that currently there is a lack of policy “coherence” in the White House.

“The administration doesn't know whether its own views on India are its own views. There is no coherence in the White House. Wherever there are glimmers of an American grand strategy, for example, reducing trade exposure to China, Trump offers up immediate contradictions,” he noted.

On the perception in the West that India is improving ties with Russia and China as a direct response to US pressures, Price asserted that “India is not closing ranks with anyone” and termed its foreign policy as “smart.”

“Indian statecraft is smart, and Indians do not typically reduce their options on the global stage. Instead, India is reminding the Americans that they do indeed have options and India is a rising and sovereign country. Soon enough, India will be a Great Power. Washington D.C. is not the only story and India does not make decisions solely on the basis of American foreign policy,” he explained.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his stance on India, calling it a “one-sided relationship.”

Price believed that Trump’s repeated complaints about India are “ill-judged and ill-timed.”

“Honestly, I wish the White House had some imagination. The US cannot expect to insult India, with a 50% tariff, and then have Indian leaders come scuttling to the White House to ask for instructions. That's not how the world works.”

“India will do India, which is smart. Trump will do Trump, which ain't,” he concluded.

--IANS

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