- 10 minutes ago
The latest episode of Statecraft covers the diplomatic fallout after the United States President endorsed a social media post describing certain Asian nations as undesirable places and professionals as gangsters.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:21Hello and welcome, you're watching Statecraft with me Geeta Mohan.
00:24Tonight, two stories that show how power today is shaped as much by words and perception as by policy and
00:31force.
00:32In Washington, Donald Trump's controversial remarks referring to countries like India and China in stark terms have triggered a diplomatic
00:41and political storm.
00:42Raising a sharp question, when does rhetoric cross the line into real damage for strategic relationships?
00:48Because in global politics, language is never just language. It carries consequence.
00:54And then, shift to the battlefield of the future, where Ukraine's low-cost drones and Iran's asymmetric warfare are challenging
01:02the very idea of military superiority.
01:06From garage-built systems taking out million-dollar tanks to costly countermeasures draining superpower resources, war is being rewritten in
01:15real time.
01:16And India is watching this transformation very closely. But, is it moving fast enough to keep up?
01:23All of this and much more, but first up, the headlines.
01:28The Iranian government has confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will travel to Islamabad tonight.
01:33Araqchi, who is on a regional tour, including Muscat in Oman and Moscow in Russia, will discuss bilateral and regional
01:40developments and the war in Iran.
01:43U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, while speaking to the media, said Iran has a chance to make a
01:48good, wise deal,
01:49stressing that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports is growing and going global.
01:55After reports emerged that the United States could seek to suspend Spain from NATO over its stance on Iran war,
02:01the North Atlantic Alliance says there is no provision for member states to be suspended or expelled from NATO.
02:08Syrian authorities arrested a former intelligence officer who appeared in a video leaked four years ago
02:14that purportedly showed him and his comrades fatally shooting dozens of people during the country's conflict.
02:21A day after President Trump in a post said the Iranians don't know who their leader is,
02:27Iranian government posted a picture on X showing unity among the heads of theocratic government branches.
02:33This comes after Trump in his post said that there is an infighting going on between the Iranian hardliners and
02:39moderates
02:40while the Strait of Hormuz remains in total control of the United States of America.
02:45Iranian President Masood Pazeshkian in a tweet said,
02:48there are no hardliners or moderates and that all Iranians are revolutionaries.
02:53He added, and I quote,
02:55one God, one nation, one leader, one path, victory for Iran, dearer than life.
03:02Donald Trump, meanwhile, rejected the idea of the U.S. launching a nuclear weapon at Iran.
03:07He also said that he does not want to rush when it comes to making a deal with Iran,
03:12adding the U.S. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz.
03:16Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, said Israel was awaiting a green light from the U.S.
03:22to resume the war, saying that if it did, it would begin by targeting Iran's supreme leader,
03:29Ayatollah Mujtaba Khamenei, and return Iran to a dark age.
03:34Regarding the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and following a meeting between Lebanese and Israeli officials at the Oval Office,
03:41President Trump said the U.S. will work with Lebanon and help Beirut to protect itself from the Hezbollah.
03:47He also declared that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks.
03:53Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah have accused each other of ceasefire violations.
04:01Sir, would you use a nuclear weapon against Iran?
04:03You posted on Trump's social a few weeks ago.
04:06No, we don't need it.
04:06Why do I need it?
04:07Why would a stupid question like that be asked?
04:10Do you post...
04:10Why would I use a nuclear weapon?
04:13We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it.
04:17No, I wouldn't use it.
04:19A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.
04:22Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran.
04:25The Israel army is prepared for defense and attack, and the targets are marked.
04:29Waiting for the green light from the U.S., first and foremost, to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty,
04:34initiate the plan of annihilation against Israel, and the successes of the leadership of the Iranian terrorist regime.
04:40And in addition to returning Iran to the dark and stone ages by blowing up the main energy and electricity
04:45facilities
04:45and crushing the national economic infrastructure.
04:49Donald Trump has said many controversial things before, but this time he has crossed a line that hits directly at
04:56India.
04:57He has endorsed someone who called countries like India and China hellholes on the planet.
05:02That is not just rhetoric.
05:03That is a statement with consequences.
05:05And the question now is blunt.
05:07Is Donald Trump's language reckless, uninformed, or simply unacceptable?
05:14The controversy began with a repost.
05:16Trump shared content from conservative radio host Michael Savage.
05:20In that post, countries like India and China were described as hellholes while attacking America's birthright citizenship law.
05:27The claim?
05:28Immigrants exploit the system, have children in the U.S., and then bring their entire families back in.
05:34But here is the problem.
05:37These are serious allegations without serious evidence.
05:40Trump's post goes further, calling Indian and Chinese professionals gangsters with laptops.
05:46That is not policy debate.
05:48That is stereotyping.
05:49And it directly targets one of the most skilled migrant communities in the world.
05:55The argument centers around birthright citizenship, a principle rooted in the United States Constitution.
06:02It guarantees citizenship to anyone born on American soil.
06:06Trump wants to change that.
06:09He argues the system is being abused.
06:11He wants a national vote instead of court decisions.
06:15But legal experts have repeatedly said this is not a simple policy tweak.
06:19It is a constitutional issue.
06:23And that is where the rhetoric becomes dangerous.
06:25Because instead of debating law, Trump is attacking entire nations.
06:29India, a strategic partner, a democracy, a country with deep economic and defense ties with the U.S.,
06:36reduced to a hellhole in a political argument.
06:40The reaction was swift, and it did not just come from India.
06:44It came from the country Trump wanted to obliterate overnight, Iran.
06:48And in a way, no one expected.
06:51Iranian missions in India publicly mocked Trump.
06:54The consulate in Mumbai suggested a cultural detox, a direct jab, saying,
06:59come to India first, then speak.
07:03And then came the cultural counterattack.
07:05Food, streets, everyday life.
07:08The Iranian consulate in Hyderabad painted a picture of India that was impossible to ignore.
07:13Ban maska, vada pao, pao bhaji, not just food, identity, not just culture, lived experience.
07:21The message was clear.
07:23You cannot reduce a civilization to a soundbite, especially one as complex and diverse as India.
07:29And New Delhi did respond, sharply but diplomatically.
07:33Ministry of External Affairs in India called the remarks uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste.
07:39That is diplomatic language, but the meaning is stronger.
07:43It is a rejection, a clear signal that such comments are not acceptable,
07:48especially from a leader of a partner nation.
07:51At the center of the controversy is Trump's ongoing legal battle.
07:56His administration is trying to restrict birthright citizenship.
08:00Courts have pushed back.
08:01Some judges have even called his executive order unconstitutional,
08:05which is why the political messaging is becoming more aggressive.
08:10And then, damage control.
08:12After the backlash, the tone changed.
08:15U.S. Embassy New Delhi issued a clarification.
08:17Trump, they said, considers India a great country.
08:21A country led by a very good friend.
08:24But here's the contradiction.
08:26You cannot call a country a hellhole one moment and a great country the next.
08:31And expect credibility to remain intact.
08:34Because words matter, especially when they come from a sitting president.
08:39So what exactly triggered this row?
08:41A repost, a podcast, a political argument.
08:44But the fallout? Global.
08:46Diplomatic reactions, public anger, and a renewed question about how far political rhetoric can go
08:52before it starts damaging real relationships.
08:55Because India is not just any country in this conversation.
08:59It is a key U.S. partner in trade, defense, and Indo-Pacific strategy.
09:05Millions of Indians contribute to the American economy.
09:08From Silicon Valley to healthcare.
09:10To reduce that contribution to abuse of a system is not just inaccurate, it is dismissive.
09:17Which brings us to the final and most important question.
09:20Should India respond harder?
09:22There are two ways to look at this.
09:24One, escalation.
09:26A strong, direct response.
09:28Calling out the remark at the highest level.
09:31Sending a message that such language will not be tolerated.
09:36Countries like France and Germany have done this in the past when their dignity was questioned.
09:41But there's another approach.
09:43Strategic restraint.
09:44India has already issued a calibrated response.
09:47It has flagged the comment.
09:48It has rejected the narrative.
09:50And it has allowed diplomatic channels to manage the fallout.
09:54Because the bigger picture matters.
09:56India-U.S. relations is not built on one statement.
10:00It is built on defense deals, economic partnerships, and shared geopolitical interests.
10:05Especially in countering China's rise.
10:08And that is the dilemma.
10:10Respond too softly and you risk normalizing disrespect.
10:14Respond too aggressively and you risk damaging a strategic partnership.
10:18It is a delicate balance.
10:20But one thing is clear.
10:21Statements like these do not exist in isolation.
10:25They shape perceptions.
10:27They influence public opinion.
10:29And they test diplomatic maturity.
10:32So was Trump wrong?
10:34The answer is simple.
10:35Yes.
10:36Not because of politics.
10:37But because reducing a complex nation like India to a derogatory label is factually weak.
10:43diplomatic, diplomatically careless, and strategically unwise.
10:47And the response going forward will define more than just this controversy.
10:51It will define how India positions itself.
10:54Not just as a partner, but as a power that demands respect.
10:58Because in global politics, perception is power.
11:01And the real question now is not what Trump said, but how India chooses to answer it.
11:07A concerning pattern is emerging across the United States and China,
11:12where scientists linked to AI, nuclear, and aerospace research
11:16are dying or disappearing under unexplained circumstances.
11:21Investigations are ongoing, but answers remain unclear.
11:24Is this simply coincidence, or does it signal an escalating covert battle
11:29over critical scientific knowledge?
11:31Here is a report.
11:43Something unusual is unfolding in the world of high-stakes science and national security.
11:49Across China and the United States, a growing number of top scientists linked to sensitive
11:54research have either died suddenly or disappeared, raising serious global concerns.
12:01Let's start with China, where the pattern is both striking and troubling.
12:05Over the past few years, at least nine scientists working in critical sectors such as military
12:10artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, space technology, and drone systems have died
12:16under circumstances that are often described as accidents, sudden illnesses, or remain unexplained.
12:23One of the most closely watched cases is Feng Yanghei,
12:26a 38-year-old professor at the National University of Defense Technology.
12:31He died in a late-night car crash in Beijing in July 2023.
12:35Feng was deeply involved in AI-based military simulations, particularly scenarios related to Taiwan.
12:42What raised eyebrows was not just the timing of the accident,
12:46but also how Chinese authorities described his death as a sacrifice while performing official duties,
12:52a phrase usually reserved for military personnel.
12:55And Feng is not alone.
12:57Other notable names include Chen Shuming, a microelectronics expert,
13:02Zhang Xiaoshin, a space scientist, and Zhang Daibing, a drone specialist.
13:07Many of these individuals were working on technologies considered vital for future warfare,
13:13including swarm drones, hypersonic systems, and advanced weapons platforms.
13:17While there is no official confirmation of foul play,
13:20analysts point out that such a concentration of deaths in highly sensitive fields is unusual.
13:26At the same time, experts caution that some of these incidents could still be genuine accidents,
13:31and no concrete evidence links them to any coordinated campaign.
13:36Now, shifting focus to the United States,
13:38a similar and equally concerning trend is emerging.
13:41At least 10 to 11 scientists connected to nuclear research,
13:45aerospace engineering, and space exploration have either died or gone missing over the past few years.
13:51This includes researchers linked to NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab,
13:55as well as experts in advanced materials and astrophysics.
13:59Cases range from unexplained deaths to disappearances during routine activities such as hiking.
14:04The situation has escalated to the point where the FBI has launched a broad multi-agency investigation.
14:10The probe involves the Department of Energy,
14:13national security agencies, and even congressional oversight committees.
14:17Lawmakers have described the situation as a potential national security concern,
14:22especially given that many of the scientists had access to highly classified information.
14:27US President Donald Trump has also acknowledged the issue,
14:30calling it serious while expressing hope that the incidents are not connected.
14:34At the same time, NASA has stated that there is currently no indication
14:38of a national security threat linked to these cases.
14:41However, the broader concern remains.
14:44Historically, there have been instances where scientists,
14:46particularly in Iran, were targeted to slow down strategic programs.
14:50The logic is simple.
14:52Infrastructure can be rebuilt, but human expertise is far harder to replace.
14:58As investigations continue, one key question remains unanswered.
15:02Are these incidents isolated and coincidental,
15:05or do they point to a deeper, more coordinated pattern?
15:08For now, there is no definitive proof.
15:10But the stakes are high, and the mystery is far from over.
15:13With Harsh Mishra, Bureau Report, India Today Global.
15:18From Ladakh to the Indo-Pacific, India is no longer watching the evolution of modern warfare
15:24from the sidelines.
15:25It is actively responding to it.
15:27In recent years, New Delhi has begun accelerating its shift toward drones,
15:32loitering munitions, and AI-enabled surveillance systems,
15:35recognizing that future conflicts will not be decided by platforms alone,
15:40but by speed, precision, and adaptability.
15:44Take the Russia-Ukraine war, for example.
15:46Ukraine walked into one of the most unequal wars in modern history,
15:50outgunned, outmanned, and outspent.
15:54And yet, it has not collapsed.
15:56It innovated, using drones that cost as little as $400.
16:01Ukrainian forces have been destroying tanks worth millions,
16:05striking airfields deep inside Russian territory,
16:07and rewriting the rules of modern warfare in real time.
16:12Across another theater, Iran took on the world's most powerful military,
16:16not with a navy or an air force, but with missiles, drones, and asymmetric pressure,
16:22and still managed to impose costs on the United States that far exceeded its own.
16:28Two very different wars, one unmistakable lesson,
16:31and India would do well to pay attention.
16:34The Russia-Ukraine war has produced what analysts are now calling
16:39the most dramatic battlefield transformation since the Second World War.
16:44By early 2025, drones were accounting for 60 to 70 percent of all damage caused to Russian equipment,
16:51according to the Royal United Services Institute.
16:55Ukraine produced over one million drones in 2024 alone.
16:59First-person-view drones assembled in garages and small workshops for as little as $400
17:05are destroying tanks worth millions.
17:09Long-range strike drones launched from inside cargo trucks have hit airfields in Siberia,
17:15more than 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
17:18The cost asymmetry is staggering, and it is deliberate.
17:22And then there is the Iran conflict.
17:25Here, the United States retained complete military superiority,
17:29and yet struggled to translate that into a clear strategic outcome.
17:34Iran relied not on conventional force, but on drones, missiles, and proxy pressure across the region.
17:42The cost of defending against those attacks for the United States ran significantly higher than the cost of deploying them.
17:49An E-3 AWACS aircraft, irreplaceable and worth hundreds of millions of dollars,
17:55was destroyed at Prince Sultan Air Base.
17:58Multiple KC-135 tankers were damaged.
18:02The U.S. military found itself so stretched that it quietly deployed Ukrainian counter-drone technology,
18:08the SkyMap platform, to defend its own bases.
18:12Let that sink in.
18:14The message from both theaters is the same.
18:17In modern warfare, technological agility is beginning to outweigh industrial scale.
18:23Cheap, attritable systems, drones, loitering munitions, naval attack vessels,
18:28are forcing expensive conventional platforms into vulnerable positions.
18:33The battlefield has moved far beyond the front lines.
18:36Strategic depth is no longer guaranteed by geography alone.
18:40And conventional military dominance, whether Russian or American,
18:44is no longer sufficient to guarantee operational control.
18:48Now look at India.
18:50It remains one of the world's largest arms importers,
18:53with defense spending heavily tilted toward high-value conventional platforms.
18:58Advanced fighter aircraft, submarines, heavy armor.
19:01Strategic analysts warn that India may be preparing for the wrong kind of war,
19:07even as its adversaries, China and Pakistan, increasingly rely on asymmetric tactics.
19:14China reshaped the situation in eastern Ladakh in 2020 without firing a single conventional shot.
19:21The lesson was already there.
19:23The question is whether India read it.
19:26To be fair, India has begun reading it and responding.
19:29Operation Sindhu saw Indian drones and loitering munitions strike targets with precision
19:35while keeping pilots out of harm's way.
19:38The domestic drone market is projected to grow from roughly $400 million today
19:43to $4 billion by 2036.
19:47Over 350 drone startups are now active.
19:52More than 50 platforms have received type certification.
19:56The government's production-linked incentive scheme
19:59and digital sky platform are encouraging domestic manufacturing.
20:03India's drone ecosystem is no longer a footnote.
20:06It is becoming a sector.
20:09But the gap remains wide.
20:10India still depends heavily on imported components for high-value drone systems.
20:15Its focus on conventional procurement has not yet shifted decisively enough
20:19toward the mass-produced, expendable, battlefield-ready systems
20:23that have defined the Ukraine model.
20:26The war in Ukraine did not wait for perfect conditions.
20:30Its drone industry scaled under fire,
20:33iterating designs in days, not years.
20:36That pace of adaptation, that willingness to treat innovation as a survival imperative
20:43is the real lesson for India.
20:47Because the next conflict India faces may not look like the wars it has trained for.
20:52It may look like Ladakh in 2020, grey zone, sub-threshold, asymmetric.
20:58Or it may look like the skies over Kharkiv,
21:01saturated with cheap, fast, lethal machines
21:05that no conventional air defense was designed to stop.
21:09Either way, the answer is not simply to buy more fighter jets.
21:13It is to build the ecosystem, the doctrine, and the industrial depth
21:18that turns low-cost technology into strategic leverage.
21:22Ukraine proved it is possible from scratch.
21:25India does not have that excuse.
21:28Innovation, as Ukraine has demonstrated,
21:30is not just a military advantage, it is a form of deterrence.
21:34And for India, a country with the talent, the manufacturing base,
21:38and now the policy momentum to lead in the space,
21:42the only remaining question is whether the urgency matches the opportunity.
21:47Because in the wars of the future,
21:50the winner will not simply be the side with the most firepower.
21:54It will be the side that learns fastest.
21:58That's all we have in this edition of Statecraft.
22:01But before we go, we leave you with this.
22:04A powerful tornado in Oklahoma ripped roofs off buildings
22:07and reduced others to rubble,
22:09knocked down power poles,
22:11and sent emergency crews rushing into a rural community.
22:14Take a look at the harrowing visuals as we leave you with them.
22:19Goodbye and take care.
22:54Bye and take care.
23:24Bye and take care.
23:27Bye and take care.
23:29Bye and take care.
23:29Bye and take care.
23:29Bye and take care.
23:29Bye and take care.
Comments