2025/09/14
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
2025/09/11
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the United States’ imposition of 50% tariffs on Indian export goods has not only severely impacted the economic relations between the two countries but has also opened a new path in New Delhi’s foreign policy. While Washington has justified this move as “punishing” India for purchasing oil from Russia, the Narendra Modi government has called it unfair and emphasized the necessity of ensuring its country’s energy security. However, India’s reaction has not been limited to mere verbal statements; Modi’s visit to China and participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit can practically be assessed as a strategic pivot towards the East. Simultaneously, diplomatic exchanges among the three Asian powers have accelerated: China’s Foreign Minister visited New Delhi, his Indian counterpart went to Moscow, and Modi, in his meeting with Beijing’s leaders, sent a clear message of India’s desire for closer cooperation with Russia and China. In this context, the Indian Prime Minister’s lack of response to several phone calls from Trump suggests that New Delhi is redefining its foreign policy priorities in response to Washington’s pressure. Many analysts believe that India’s recent actions are not merely short-term reactions but rather a sign of a new balance of power forming in Asia’s equations.
2025/08/30
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international relations analyst stated that the recent visit of Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, to New Delhi is not merely a routine diplomatic meeting; rather, it represents a decisive point in the geopolitical equations of South Asia and even the new global order. After four years of tension and distrust stemming from deadly border clashes in Ladakh and Beijing’s full-throated support for Islamabad during the four-day India-Pakistan war, Beijing and New Delhi are now moving towards economic and political reconciliation under circumstances where external variables, including Trump’s tariff pressures and India’s closeness to Russia, have complicated the equation.
2025/08/12
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
2025/07/15
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: With Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency, a new wave of economic protectionism in the form of tariff policies has impacted global trade. One of the first countries targeted by these tariffs was South Korea—a nation whose economy heavily relies on exports, particularly to the American market.
