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.

In today’s cutthroat global arena, nations chase self-interest with cold precision. The ‘Trump era’ stripped away the veneer of shared values—democracy, human rights—replacing them with raw, transactional deals. The collapse of socialism and the rise of ruthless capitalism have redrawn the rules, and India must play smarter. Hopes of a deeper India-US bond under a potential Trump comeback sparked fleeting optimism, but the mirage of partnership quickly dissolved. History and geopolitics scream a singular truth: blind trust in America could plunge India into peril.

The US and Britain’s decades-long backing of Pakistan’s terrorism is no secret. Pakistani leaders themselves confess their role as proxies in America’s ‘dirty work’. During the Afghan war, the US weaponised Pakistan, leaving India to bear the scars. Pakistan’s Defence Minister recently admitted that the US and Britain fueled terrorism for 30 years—a covert war that bled India. Rewind to 1971: while India stood for humanity in the Bangladesh War, America’s Seventh Fleet loomed as a threat to India’s sovereignty. A friend? Hardly. Even now, Pakistan’s US-supplied F-16s target India, defying assurances, exposing America’s duplicity.

Leaders like Trump thrive on division, their ‘America First’ mantra steeped in racial superiority. His policies—banning Muslim-majority nations, dehumanising Indian-origin people, and berating South Africa’s President over white interests—reveal a worldview that scorns India’s dignity. When Indian communities face harassment in the US for their religion or skin, the question burns: Is America an ally or a predator cloaked in camaraderie?

America’s economic playbook is equally predatory. It pressures India into buying overpriced F-35s, manipulates the rupee to bolster the dollar, and plunders India’s innovations through patent laws. Every step toward Indian self-reliance—nuclear policy, data security—meets Western resistance. Even in alliances like the QUAD, when Pakistan provokes, America and its allies stay silent, leaving India exposed. Culturally, the US pushes its education, lifestyle, and values, echoing colonial arrogance. The spectre of white supremacy hasn’t faded—it’s just dressed in modern garb.

India must forge a new path, wielding self-reliance as its shield. Cautious ties with the US are necessary, but blind trust is suicide. Prioritising national pride, cultural identity, and long-term interests, India must scrutinise every foreign handshake. The time for naivety is over—India’s sovereignty demands vigilance, strength, and an unyielding commitment to standing tall.