We already have evidence of this when the US put pressure on India to stop trading Russian oil. India is not willing to sacrifice lucrative trade to appease the US, and the US is not in the habit of letting countries pursue their national interest. Hence there’s going to be increasing friction going forward. As the US power declines, they will be putting increasing pressure on their vassals to ratchet up extraction. Unlike the Europeans and American vassals in Asia, India has options precisely because it is part of BRICS.
Haha I guess it is a question of dialectics whether we “credit” India or whether we say her hand is forced with the tide of geopolitics swayed significantly by the R and the C.
I would strongly consider how white supremacism and colourism is deeply ingrained into the upper classes of India, and the material conditions, ie the relationships these classes have with western nations and non-western nations, that affords them this.
India since independance has long history (and I would say even before Independance when Gandhi suggested that India remain a protectorate of the British Empire) of knee bending to the West despite any rhetoric (egregious example: Indira Gandhi despite all her western interviews and erudite anti-western rhetoric was more than happy to engage CIA help to topple home grown communist movements), and it is difficult to imagine a present timeline where India would have apparently chosen their own sovereignity without Chinese and Russians showing a backbone.
I mean we already have concrete evidence, as I noted earlier, with the Russian oil trade. You have to apply material thinking to the situation. Trade with BRICS is creating a lot of wealth for the oligarchs in India, and they’re becoming a powerful political force in turn. Meanwhile, as the US economy continues to decline, the oligarchs invested in the US are starting to find that they’re not getting the returns they used to get. So, the economic gravity necessarily shifts away from the US and towards BRICS where development opportunities are. Russia and China created the economic niche with BRICS, but now that it exists, India is pulled towards it.
I fail to see in each of the examples you have highlighted that if it weren’t for the Russians and Chinese what internal mechanisms (sincerely asking; happy to be enlightened here) within India would have got them to actively invest money in developing the trade they now have, especially at the risk of irking Western Ire. It was way easier for Indian oligarchs when presented the option of easy money from Russian oil, and USAmerican vassals willing to purchase this Indian processed oil, to then continue with that development when faced with a declining West.
Where was, for example, the 5 or 10 year Indian plans on significant diversification of Indian economy away from the West before the Ukraine War or even Chinese ASEAN trade agreements?
You can see why I am reluctant to “credit” India on their new found soverignity when their hands was forced by others. They just didn’t have the privileged ignorance (read NATO and US intelligence integration) of Expected White Solidarity of the Europeans to engage in that level of economic suicde, and it was not for lack of trying as displayed by Modi’s subservience when interacting with the West.
I’m not arguing that Russia and China aren’t the principal architects of BRICS. What I’m saying that Indian leadership had the brains to take advantage of trading with BRICS which gave India options that vassals like the EU don’t have today. India would prefer to stay in the western camp, but since the US is putting unacceptable demands on India, they’re able to pivot towards their other option.
Nowhere am I arguing that India is in some way principled. They’re simply being opportunistic, but that’s precisely where the tension with the US emerges. And that’s why I expect the split between the west and India to continue to grow.
We already have evidence of this when the US put pressure on India to stop trading Russian oil. India is not willing to sacrifice lucrative trade to appease the US, and the US is not in the habit of letting countries pursue their national interest. Hence there’s going to be increasing friction going forward. As the US power declines, they will be putting increasing pressure on their vassals to ratchet up extraction. Unlike the Europeans and American vassals in Asia, India has options precisely because it is part of BRICS.
Haha I guess it is a question of dialectics whether we “credit” India or whether we say her hand is forced with the tide of geopolitics swayed significantly by the R and the C.
Their hand is being forced, but they do get credit for actually having the brains to leave themselves with some options.
I agree. They were forced to make a choice, just like Europe was. India chose sovereignty. Europe chose subjugation.
Exactly, Europe put all their eggs in the imperial basket, while India kept their options open.
I would strongly consider how white supremacism and colourism is deeply ingrained into the upper classes of India, and the material conditions, ie the relationships these classes have with western nations and non-western nations, that affords them this.
India since independance has long history (and I would say even before Independance when Gandhi suggested that India remain a protectorate of the British Empire) of knee bending to the West despite any rhetoric (egregious example: Indira Gandhi despite all her western interviews and erudite anti-western rhetoric was more than happy to engage CIA help to topple home grown communist movements), and it is difficult to imagine a present timeline where India would have apparently chosen their own sovereignity without Chinese and Russians showing a backbone.
I mean we already have concrete evidence, as I noted earlier, with the Russian oil trade. You have to apply material thinking to the situation. Trade with BRICS is creating a lot of wealth for the oligarchs in India, and they’re becoming a powerful political force in turn. Meanwhile, as the US economy continues to decline, the oligarchs invested in the US are starting to find that they’re not getting the returns they used to get. So, the economic gravity necessarily shifts away from the US and towards BRICS where development opportunities are. Russia and China created the economic niche with BRICS, but now that it exists, India is pulled towards it.
I fail to see in each of the examples you have highlighted that if it weren’t for the Russians and Chinese what internal mechanisms (sincerely asking; happy to be enlightened here) within India would have got them to actively invest money in developing the trade they now have, especially at the risk of irking Western Ire. It was way easier for Indian oligarchs when presented the option of easy money from Russian oil, and USAmerican vassals willing to purchase this Indian processed oil, to then continue with that development when faced with a declining West.
Where was, for example, the 5 or 10 year Indian plans on significant diversification of Indian economy away from the West before the Ukraine War or even Chinese ASEAN trade agreements?
You can see why I am reluctant to “credit” India on their new found soverignity when their hands was forced by others. They just didn’t have the privileged ignorance (read NATO and US intelligence integration) of Expected White Solidarity of the Europeans to engage in that level of economic suicde, and it was not for lack of trying as displayed by Modi’s subservience when interacting with the West.
I’m not arguing that Russia and China aren’t the principal architects of BRICS. What I’m saying that Indian leadership had the brains to take advantage of trading with BRICS which gave India options that vassals like the EU don’t have today. India would prefer to stay in the western camp, but since the US is putting unacceptable demands on India, they’re able to pivot towards their other option.
Nowhere am I arguing that India is in some way principled. They’re simply being opportunistic, but that’s precisely where the tension with the US emerges. And that’s why I expect the split between the west and India to continue to grow.
Fair enough. Agreed