Edward Luce: “Modi is trampling on too many rights to mention — religious freedom at the forefront. Yet the U.S. State Department is as quiet about those as it is loud in condemning the transgressions of others in lesser positions on the global chessboard. This can only deepen cynicism about the gap between what America says and does. In an era where the global south is up for grabs, such double standards do little for U.S. credibility.”
Playbook: “And that, of course, is the crux of Biden’s decision: Though the war in Ukraine is the most immediate pressing foreign policy issue Biden faces day to day, India’s cozying up to Russia and its democratic backsliding can be forgiven in exchange for a long-term gamble that showering Modi with love — and trade deals and weapons sales, which will be announced today — will strengthen a U.S.-India partnership to contain China.”
