Arnaud Bertrand praises India for its political courage which EU lacks

[Ajay0]

Geopolitical writer and commentator Arnaud Bertrand has praised India for its political courage which EU lacks, as per his perception. He also praised India for upgrading its diplomatic ties with China.

https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/india/story/modi-has-the-political-courage-europe-lacks-entrepreneur-says-eu-lacks-will-courage-shame-for-giving-in-to-trumps-demands-490405-2025-08-21

 

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“You can say what you want about India, Modi does have the political courage that Europe thoroughly lacks. Imagine if Europe had done this with Russia when Trump started, like he just did with India, to go hostile on trade. Not only would they not be in the absurd situation where they need to negotiate peace with Russia via the intermediary of a hostile Trump, but they also could be rebuilding ties with Russia as leverage against American extortion. And I'm not even speaking about avoiding the pathetic spectacle of being lined up like schoolchildren before Trump's desk, or having to pay several points worth of European GDP in tribute,” he said. 

Bertrand stated that Europe now gets the worst of all the worlds – “public humiliation as American vassals, systematic wealth extraction by the US, a ruinous proxy war they need to pay for, and continuous hostility with their next door neighbour even when, ironically, the US is now restoring relations”. 

He also highlighted that it is harder for India to take a stand than for Europe, considering the level of animosity Indians have for China, which is more than what Europeans have for Russia. “Heck, European leaders would undoubtedly have been cheered by a large proportion of Europeans if they'd taken the diplomatic initiative in Ukraine instead of Trump, all the more if it was as a strategic move to resist Trump. But no, they'd rather sit in the Oval Office like obedient pupils, write $100 billion checks to American defence contractors, and continue playing vassals to a hegemon that openly despises them.”

 

 

[Sucuk Ekmek]

Courage is easy when you can reroll your  life on earth.

[zazen]

4 hours ago, Ajay0 said:

Bertrand stated that Europe now gets the worst of all the worlds – “public humiliation as American vassals

Second hand embarrassment lol

Arnaud is awesome. Here’s another recent tweet about the Dutch company seizing Chinese assets:

https://x.com/rnaudbertrand/status/1978085002584662448?s=46&t=DuLUbFRQFGpB8oo7PwRglQ
 

“This is an extraordinarily dumb thing for Europe to do: the Dutch government is quite literally stealing a leading Chinese semiconductors company, at least its international operations.

They're probably acting in coordination with Washington since it was simultaneous to Trump's new "50% rule" that added all subsidiaries of companies on the U.S. "Entity List" to the list (which is the case of Wingtech Technology, Nexperia's Chinese parent company).

I'm not even exaggerating on the "stealing" bit: they suspended the Chinese CEO from his position, appointed a non-Chinese director on the board with decisive voting rights and expropriated the company's shares by placing them under management by a third-party trustee.

All under a law called the "Goods Availability Act" (government.nl/latest/news/20…), which is an emergency wartime legislation designed for things like the requisition of bread or fuel during a foreign invasion. It makes absolutely zero sense in this case: last I checked Holland wasn't being invaded, and Nexperia is operating normally, with chips flowing to European customers exactly as they always have.

It's so dumb in so many respects.

First of all this obviously kills the investment climate in Europe: go convince any non-Western country to invest in Europe now, when they know their investment can be seized from one day to the next on the flimsiest of pretexts.

It invites retaliation from China, which is almost systematic. I wouldn't want to be a Dutch company with Chinese operations right now...

It undermines Europe's own semiconductor strategy. Nexperia is one of the all-too-rare successful EU semiconductor companies, headquartered in Holland with 14,000 employees worldwide. Destabilizing it isn't exactly smart...

Last but not least, it sends yet again the message of a EU with zero strategic autonomy since, again, this was simultaneous with new US rules that affected Nexperia.”

Tweet 2:

“Interestingly, now that we have more information, the best angle to understand what happened with Nexperia is as an economic proxy war between the U.S. and China, with Europe - as is often the case these days - as the battleground (and therefore the main victim).

As per confirmation from court filings (x.com/FT/status/1978…), it's now clear that the Dutch moved to seize Nexperia because they were told by the U.S. that if they didn't do so the company would end up on the Entity List and would therefore be basically killed by extraterritorial U.S. sanctions. 

Which would have been a heavy blow for the Dutch economy because, despite being owned by a Chinese company, Nexperia is headquartered in Holland and employs over 10,000 people in Europe.

And now China's response to the Dutch seizing Nexperia (x.com/Sino_Market/st…) is to deploy their own economic weapon against the company: the company has been banned from Chinese supply chains, which is also pretty much a death warrant for such a business.

So in effect it was a "tails I lose, heads... I lose too" situation for Europe: no matter the response - be it from US financial weaponry or Chinese supply chain weapons - Nexperia would basically be on death row.

Which again illustrates the tragic strategic situation European leaders have put the continent in through decades of terrible choices. There's that saying: "if you're not at the table, you're on the menu"... well in Europe and Nexperia's case it's even worse than this, Nexperia is not being eaten by either side: it's being destroyed to prevent the other from having it. Europe doesn't even get the consolation of getting eaten: they're simply simply collateral damage, crushed like a powerless bug without a second thought about it.”

[zazen]

It’s not just lack of courage but also lack of foresight and cunningness which is required in geopolitics. This isn’t a game of jenga for the soft hearted liberal types who think their above survival and power dynamics - only to ruled by the power of US imperial and corporate interests at the cost of their own interests!

You gotta be a Bhudda (benevolent) Machiavelli in this game or it’s simply not for you.

https://x.com/acea_auto/status/1978800942859608529?s=46&t=DuLUbFRQFGpB8oo7PwRglQ

From the European Automobile Manufacturing Association: “We are deeply concerned by potential significant disruption to European vehicle manufacturing if the interruption of Nexperia chips supplies cannot be immediately resolved.“

Also: https://x.com/theothersideru/status/1978559267423846507?s=46&t=DuLUbFRQFGpB8oo7PwRglQ

“Italy stops extradition to Germany of a Ukrainian man suspected of masterminding Nord Stream sabotage

A second Ukrainian suspect remains in custody in Poland, which is still reviewing a separate German extradition request

This comes just a day after Poland demanded Germany stop its Nord Stream attack prosecutions, arguing they are not in the interests of Poland or NATO“

Self-mutilation and industrial sabotage lol exactly why I’m leaving Europe like many others. Can’t save the ideologically blinkered. Any wise and tactful leader would dedicate themselves to a path of extricating themselves from dependencies slowly whilst “maintaining” relationships with those you depend on until you get a stronger hand.

You don’t just cold turkey yourself like it’s some smoking addiction - or else your Christmas turkey may literally be cold this winter for some!

Arnaud on Nord stream commenting on a Polish minister who’s said Thank You America after it was blown up: https://x.com/rnaudbertrand/status/1979373210849443970?s=46&t=DuLUbFRQFGpB8oo7PwRglQ

Edited October 18, 2025 by zazen

[Ajay0]

John Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, has said India's response to U.S. tariffs and pressure shows diplomatic sophistication, comparing with what he described as Washington's strategic blunders under President Donald Trump. 

https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/indians-are-smart-top-us-scholar-says-trumps-chaos-wrecks-american-strategy-in-asia-493049-2025-09-08

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"China is a formidable opponent of the United States both economically and militarily. So if you're in a system where China is your principal concern and you want to contain China, you then want to have good relations with Russia and India because you don't want them on the Chinese side of the ledger," the US scholar said. 

"But what the Trump administration has done by continuing the war in Ukraine and treating the Russians quite badly despite what happened in Alaska is in effect continue to push the Russians into the arms of the Chinese. And now what's happened is that as a result of putting 50% tariffs on India and saying all sorts of terrible things about India, Trump has driven the Indians into the arms of the Chinese."

 

 

[BlueOak]

Oh yes, because hostility to russia always puts you on their good side. I'll remember that when the next round of nuclear threats comes our way, which should be sometime tomorrow.

I have to wonder with these people if they are just jumping through hoops because of ideology or they have no idea what they are talking about.

But its easy when you are not under direct threat. Here I have an idea, why don't they try all this high and mighty diplomacy with Pakistan? Oh bit harder there right? Right. Easier and more effective to threaten force and nukes. Oh that reminds of somewhere else. Ukraine and Russia. Hmm. Could it be humans act almost identically the world over when faced with similiar problems?

No No. Indians are far superior to all us poor Europeans. Enlightened, their conflicts are special. The Eastern Europeans couldn't possibly have the same emotion toward a country that has invaded them for centuries, that's just reserved for India. 

I hate how self-flattering India has become. Its a part of authoritarian states that I detest, the enlargement of national ego.

@zazen

If you don't invade and threaten to nuke the country or countries you are investing in, your investments are fine. You act like this is all in a bubble. The detachment Russian supporters have from the consquences of a war is mind boggling. As if any country on earth wouldn't do the exact same thing.

Europe is not a victim. Insert my large sigh. We have one poster claiming they have no idea what they are doing, and the other saying how they are poor victims. That somehow they have it both easier because their wars aren't as difficult India's have been and harder because they don't know what they are doing.

People are quite capable of making their own decisions. The European one is blindingly simple. Keep the war as far east as possible. All Putin's stupidity in targetting these countries is doing is what it always does, harden sentiment against Russia It's a stupid calculation made by a stupid mind, as it's forever expanded NATO. If russia stoped using fear, they'd have probably already won the war. Instead, they target other countries and civilians and threaten everyone - its just dumb all around. A country unable to change, and another reason authoritarian states are not possible to coexist with in peace.

Any destruction of Russian economic assets is perfectly reasonable in war. And yes nobody should have chinese operations in sensitive areas of their country; I've said this for years. We can trade with China but not allow things like infrastructure projects by China, its just inviting the same thing it does of all authoritarian states, invasion, coercion, and political meddling.

*As an aside, this is what the destruction of the economic world order looks like. All of this i've posted, from people taking investments, to the ruination of your opponents' economies, and isolation of states. People want it though, so its happening.

Edited 16 hours ago by BlueOak