Recently, senior officials and the foreign minister hinted at the West’s lingering bias for Pakistan. Most leaders in India and poor third-world countries feel that the Western world is highly biased and sectarian. The hearts of some white leaders still secretly pulse for Pakistan. This is a thunderclap warning that India must arm itself with caution and self-reliance in a world where allies like the US wield friendship as a weapon of convenience.

US President Donald Trump’s recent stance toward India—marked by tariff hikes, coercive pressure, and transactional rhetoric—hints at a new imperialist era. Trump’s distancing from the World Trade Organisation and his economic bullying under the guise of ‘America First’ reveal that the US no longer seeks friendship but demands subservience.

A surviving Iran is more valuable to American interests than a destroyed one. A defeated Iran would upset the delicate balance of fear that fuels US arms sales and regional influence.

Since the rise of Trump, global peace has been under threat. The fear of nuclear war is growing as multiple hotspots—Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Middle East—remain tense. Trade wars are intensifying, and nations are turning against each other economically. The world now resembles a battleground of ‘survival of the fittest’, where the scramble for power and resources has weakened global cooperation. In such a volatile environment, even a small spark could trigger catastrophic consequences.

When Donald Trump sat down for lunch with Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir in the White House Cabinet Room, the menu featured more than just sandwiches. On the table was ‘nuclear peace pudding’ and a spicy chutney of covert strategies against Iran. Trump pretended to thank Munir for averting an India-Pakistan war, but the real dish was America’s dream of setting up military bases in Pakistan...

At a time when India is facing hostilities from across the borders and surrounded by not-so-friendly neighbours, scholars are wondering whether nations, small in size and with limited resources, have any future, or will they permanently remain basket cases.