NEW YORK – S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, issued a clear but indirect attack on U.S. President Donald Trump and the judgments his administration has made about policy. Jaishankar spoke at a panel discussion in New York next to the United Nations General Assembly and talked about how things are becoming less predictable around the world. He said, “A few months, weeks, and tweets make a difference.”
The comments were delivered at an ORF panel discussion called “At The Heart of Development—Aid, Trade & Technology.” They were clearly about how quickly the Trump administration changes its policies, which it regularly does through social media. Jaishankar’s statements came at a time when India’s policies have changed, such as higher fees for H-1B visa applications and tariffs on Indian goods.
Jaishankar said that the world is becoming “much more unpredictable, volatile, and uncertain,” adding that “the level of policy changes and their practical impact, played out publicly, is one part of it.”
He said that countries need to adjust to this new situation by building “more resilient, redundant supply chains” and shielding themselves from the “uncertainty of market access.” Jaishankar said that the main goal of diplomacy and international relations right now is to “de-risk, hedge, and become more resilient.”
His words made it clear that countries need to put their own interests first and defend their economy as global threats emerge and large international entities change their policies in unanticipated ways.