A Moment of Shock in Venezuela — and a Thought for India

The news from Venezuela is unsettling.

The images and headlines are hard to ignore: a regime collapsing, a population caught in the middle, and yet another reminder of how abruptly global powers can reshape smaller nations.

I find myself conflicted.

On one hand, there’s hope that people who’ve suffered under a broken economic model might finally see relief. On the other, there’s discomfort — because history tells us that great powers stepping in is rarely a clean or altruistic story.

But sitting in India, this episode also triggered a broader reflection.

Venezuela is a reminder of how fragile transactional alliances really are. When relationships are built primarily on cheques, loans, or convenience, they tend to hold only until stress arrives.

This pattern is visible across many Chinese partnerships. In several cases, economic and political models prove unsustainable, and domestic support for China remains shallow or partisan. Change the regime, and the loyalties often change with it.

By contrast, India has historically adopted a policy of mutual respect — even during periods when we were far smaller and weaker. It’s often debated whether this approach was too restrained, or whether it delivered tangible results.

But perhaps, it is beginning to show results now.

The Maldives quietly recalibrated after discovering that rhetoric and distant partners don’t pay bills or stabilise tourism. Sri Lanka, after years of oscillation, has moved decisively toward India — not out of ideology, but out of necessity, proximity, and trust.

As India accelerates efforts to diversify supply chains, it is increasingly engaging with smaller nations across South America and Africa for energy and resource partnerships. In that process, India may well emerge as a more credible long-term partner than either China or the United States.

India doesn’t demand loyalty. It offers reliability.

Over the years, different powers have made different promises.

The U.S. often said: “We will protect you.”

China said: “We will fund you.”

India, increasingly, is saying something quieter: “We will be reliable.”

And that may be the most durable promise of all.

Some powers offer scale.

Others offer sustainability.

When pressure hits, it’s not the biggest cheque that matters — it’s who shows up, consistently, without turning partnership into leverage.

That distinction may define the next decade of geopolitics.