Washington, DC [US] September 10 : David Goldwyn, leading Geopolitical expert believes US President Trump miscalculated by assuming sanctions could serve as a pressure tool against India.
"What he's learning in this fiasco, really, in terms of diplomatic relations with India, is that this oil weapon was not quite the tool of leverage that he thought it was. India is not as vulnerable... He underestimated the potency of that weapon and really misread Indian history," he said in an interview to ANI.
Goldwyn's comments come amidst what appears to be a thaw in the tug of war over tariffs imposed on India. On Tuesday President Trump expressed confidence in reaching a "successful conclusion" and looked forward to speaking with PM Modi in the upcoming weeks.
"I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!" Trump stated in a post on Truth Social.
The top global energy and geopolitical expert however called out the Trump administration's double standards over tariffs on India and described Washington's sanctions on India over Russian oil imports as a "deeply hypocritical policy."
Goldwyn said, "It is a deeply hypocritical policy. So there's no question about that."
The Trump administration imposed a steep 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, 25 per cent applied earlier this month, and an additional 25 per cent from August 27 as secondary sanctions, in response to New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. On the other hand, Washington has suspended tariffs on China until November.
When asked why the US hasn't slapped China with a similar sort of secondary sanctions, Goldwyn said Trump believed he had greater bargaining leverage with India than with China.
"The President had a lot of leverage, and he believes he has leverage over India, but he realises he doesn't have a lot of leverage with China. That's why tariffs have been delayed, negotiations extended, and he has not enforced sanctions or tariffs for Chinese imports of Russian crude," Goldwyn said.
Goldwyn further mentioned that Trump avoided sanctioning Chinese ports and ships for fear of upsetting potential trade talks with Beijing. "This is a question of the president's perception of leverage. And the more leverage he thinks he has, the harder a bargain he drives."
Furthermore, when asked if Trump thinks he can force Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a deal with the United States, Goldwyn denied that possibility but mentioned that Trump wants the deal.
"I don't think that he believes that he can coerce Xi Jinping into a deal, but he does believe that there is a deal to be had. He thinks China could make energy purchases or give up some transactions, and that he can cut a deal. But it hasn't gone very well, which is why everything has been delayed," he said.
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