Trump’s Conspiracy Chorus: Washington’s Weakness, Not China’s Plot
By Sanjeev Oak
Donald Trump’s claim of a China–Russia–North Korea “conspiracy” is less revelation, more projection. By reviving Cold War tropes, Washington exposes its insecurity. For India, the lesson is clear: resist pressure, guard autonomy, and refuse a role in America’s theatre.
Donald Trump’s latest tirade—that China, Russia, and North Korea are conspiring against the United States—reveals less about Beijing’s supposed plots and more about Washington’s insecurity. When a superpower starts seeing shadows, it is no longer projecting strength.
“Trump’s paranoia is not strategy—it is the vocabulary of decline.”
The American Habit of Demonising Rivals
For decades, the US has turned competitors into villains: first the Soviet Union, then Japan, later China, now an entire axis of ‘authoritarian’ states. Each time, the purpose is the same—justify tariffs, build military coalitions, and arm-twist allies into alignment.
“Conspiracy is Washington’s cover story for its waning grip on the world.”
Trump’s revival of this Cold War trope is not about security. It is about distracting from America’s fractured domestic politics and its failing ability to dictate global trade rules.
China’s Rebuttal—and the Real Contest
Beijing, of course, denied Trump’s charges. But whether China coordinates with Moscow or Pyongyang is almost beside the point. What matters is that Washington’s obsession with constructing ‘enemy triangles’ blinds it to a multipolar reality where no single capital dictates terms.
The India Question
This narrative is not neutral for India. Every time Washington spins tales of conspiracies, it tightens the screws on its allies—through tariffs, technology controls, or secondary sanctions. India has already been targeted, dressed up as “peace policy” to push Ukraine war goals.
“If America thinks tariffs can force India into submission, it misunderstands New Delhi—and overestimates itself.”
India’s challenge is clear: refuse to play supporting actor in Trump’s theatre. It must assert its strategic autonomy, keep channels open with Beijing despite friction, and never accept Washington’s veto on trade or diplomacy.
A Mirror, Not a Master
What Trump calls a conspiracy is actually a mirror—showing America its own loss of dominance. India should recognise the performance for what it is: a loud, paranoid attempt to drag the world back into Washington’s script.
“The more America shouts conspiracy, the more the world sees fragility.”