11 hours ago
India’s reliance on foreign inputs and supply chains to keep its economy running, including discounted Russian oil, may reflect tactical diplomacy but also raises questions about whether its policy of strategic autonomy rings hollow. | REUTERS
Less than a month into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and restaurants in India have switched to burning wood and limiting menu options, citing a shortage of cooking gas. Households are also facing longer wait times for LPG cylinder deliveries.
That the world’s fourth-largest economy and most populous country can become vulnerable to a conflict in the Middle East so much so that it begins rationing energy supplies within a week of hostilities should prompt serious reflection.
The LPG shortage is not the only crisis calling for introspection among policymakers in New Delhi. At a time when supply-chain security has become sacrosanct through initiatives such as Pax Silica (to which India recently became a member), New Delhi continues to depend on allies, partners and adversaries alike for critical goods, calling into question its contribution to such initiatives.
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