That is the characterization provided by Alyssa Ayres, a former State Department official now at George Washington University, in a discussion with Financial Times. The FT article described a “deepening a rift between Washington and New Delhi … a sudden escalation of tensions after the two sides failed to reach a breakthrough in trade talks.”
The Global Trade Research Initiative, a New Delhi-based think-tank, said that, with the 50% tariffs just imposed on India by the Trump administration, “Indian exports to the U.S., its largest trading partner, could fall from $86.5 billion this year to about $50 billion in 2026.” They said textiles, gems, jewelry, shrimp and carpets would be hit hardest, with 70% collapse in exports “endangering hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
The FT then quoted Mark Linscott, a former U.S. trade negotiator who now advises U.S. and Indian businesses: “I think India could survive 25% … but 50% is a completely different scenario.”
