Praktical Economics

  "There are decades when weeks happen, and there are weeks when decades happen." Thanks to Trump 2.0, this quote has never felt more true. For India specifically, the pace accelerated dramatically after Operation Sindoor in May 2025. That conflict, and the bonhomie between USA and Pakistan post that, forced India to reassess its alignment. While the Ukraine war first raised the question of sovereignty with Russian oil, the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan showed that a new "America First" foreign policy would not automatically align with India's interests. In this new environment, India's actions are a clear message: Energy Security: The continued purchase of discounted Russian oil isn't just an economic decision—it is a statement of strategic autonomy, a hedge against a world where old alliances can't be taken for granted. Maritime Power: Investment in the Great Nicobar Project and offshore oil exploration in the Andamans is more than about energy;...

  If Europe wants to survive, it must do with India what the U.S. once did with China. The world is moving towards a G-2. A U.S. China duopoly. Both would rather face one big rival than balance many small ones. Europe fears being left behind. The answer? Invest in India. Make India prosperous. Use India as the bridge to the Global South. Good news is things are already in the right direction. Just need to be paced up a little. FTA, New Rafale deal etc have progressed considerably. India's BRICS presidency next year may even see a few european countries being invited. Another interesting aspect is that while USA and China are quite homogenous in a way, India and Europe thrive on their plurality. That shared strength is what makes the partnership natural. If Europe bets on India’s rise, it secures its own future too.

My profile has been fairly dormant, but I thought I’d break the silence with something I deeply care about—geopolitics. And right now, things are heated. What we’re seeing between India and the U.S. isn’t just a trade spat anymore. It has escalated into a full-blown government-level face-off. It started with U.S.–Pakistan bonhomie and Trump’s “Nobel” ambitions, and picked up steam as India leaned into SCO engagement with China and Russia. Washington is shocked (and visibly annoyed) that India is willing to chart its own course. From the U.S. lens, this looks like a $4T economy challenging a $30T giant. But what the Trump administration often overlooks is India’s history—after centuries of colonialism, sovereignty here is non-negotiable. Rick Sanchez, the U.S. political commentator, described it well: “When India said no, the world changed forever.” That refusal to bow on oil trade was not just a policy choice, but a cataclysmic, transformational moment in global power equations. On tar...