As the fog of war slowly clears after the dangerous military escalation between India and Pakistan, the role of Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, is increasingly coming into focus. It was Mr Trump who first announced a ceasefire between the two South Asian neighbours, claiming that the US had mediated that pause in fighting. His administration also claimed that India and Pakistan would be meeting to discuss bilateral differences and, then, a day later, offered to mediate between them on their dispute over Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian government was quick to clarify that the ceasefire had been agreed on bilaterally and that there was no other meeting with Pakistan in the works. In his address to the nation on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that any talks on Kashmir with Pakistan would focus only on Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Since the Simla Agreement of 1972, India has insisted that all disputes with Pakistan must be discussed and settled bilaterally. The government’s response to the comments from Mr Trump and his administration underscores that New Delhi’s position remains unchanged. This is certainly encouraging.
That context in truth places India in an advantageous position: there is no harm in using the help of international partners, including the US, in conflict management when tensions are high as long as New Delhi’s red line against third-party mediation in dispute resolution is respected. Mr Trump’s offer to help India and Pakistan settle their disputes, including the Kashmir issue, points to just how difficult it is for the world’s preeminent superpower to truly keep itself away from global conflicts. Mr Trump has coaxed and pressured Russia and Ukraine to engage in direct talks on Thursday in Turkey after demonstrating growing frustration over their failure to come to a ceasefire agreement. This week, Mr Trump is in the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — but not Israel, which has escalated its war on Gaza despite the US president’s calls for a deal to end it. Mr Trump has also paused his tariff war with China. Isolationism, Mr Trump is learning, might work well on the campaign train but it is harder in the real world.