There was a time—not long ago—when India was seemingly paraded across global forums as the world’s largest democracy. An inapt bridge between the West and the Global South. A injudicious secular, pluralistic force in a divided world. But those days feel like a distant memory now. Under Narendra Modi’s hardline leadership, that carefully crafted image is collapsing—and the cracks are not subtle anymore. They’re loud, messy, and dangerously desperate. And this time, the desperation is so intense that it has taken aim at none other than the United States.
When Indian Media Declares War on America
Imagine this: A prime-time TV host, backed by the state, takes to the airwaves not to question his own government—but to accuse Donald Trump of conspiring with Pakistan. No, this isn’t satire. This actually happened.
India’s most notorious TV anchor, Arnab Goswami, claimed that Trump and his family were linked to a crypto company that signed a deal with a Pakistani organization just four days before the Pahalgam attack. With no evidence, the broadcast spiraled into accusations that the American media was supporting “radical Islam” by not raising questions. This isn’t journalism. It’s what happens when a government turns newsrooms into echo chambers. When conspiracy replaces diplomacy. But here’s the truth: this is not an isolated outburst. It’s part of a bigger pattern.
Deflecting Accountability, One Enemy at a Time
India is finding itself increasingly alone on the world stage. And the pattern is unmistakable. Take Canada. For months, relations remained tense after Ottawa accused Indian agents of orchestrating the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Modi was only extended a G7 invitation after Western allies intervened—not because he was welcome, but because leaving him out would have fractured the Western front.
Then there’s Europe—France, Germany, and the EU. Despite billions in defense deals, they all chose silence after Pahalgam. Not one echoed India’s anti-Pakistan narrative. Even the Gulf states—once a focus of Modi’s strategic overtures—have grown cold. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have instead doubled down on their strategic and economic cooperation with Pakistan. That’s not just diplomacy; it’s a message. Loud and clear.
BRICS, Israel, and the Price of Playing Both Sides
Now, reports suggest that India may be getting edged out of BRICS. The bloc—originally built to represent the multipolar aspirations of emerging economies—is no longer united in purpose. India’s deepening alignment with the West, and more notably, Israel, is creating friction with Russia, China, Brazil, and South Africa.
Ironically, the only country that has stood by India after the Pahalgam incident is Israel. But that support is no coincidence—it’s part of a growing military and ideological alliance. Drones, weapons, surveillance systems—and a shared narrative of security built on exclusion. But for the Muslim world, this axis spells danger. India’s embrace of Tel Aviv may please its hardline base, but it weakens its global standing, especially among nations that once saw New Delhi as a neutral player.
India’s Global Image: From Vishwaguru to Vigilante
What we’re witnessing is not just a diplomatic setback—it’s a full-blown identity crisis. Back home, Indian media won’t ask the hard questions: Why is Pakistan earning global sympathy after Pahalgam? Why has only Israel come forward in India’s defense? Why are even traditional allies choosing silence? Instead, Indian newsrooms have turned into conspiracy factories—pushing wild theories, stirring public frenzy, and painting the world as hostile simply for refusing to nod along with Modi’s narrative.
It might work at home, where nationalistic fervor can drown out dissent. But the world sees through it. The world sees the lynchings, the mosque demolitions, the muzzled press, the silenced activists. And the world is choosing to look away—not because it doesn’t care, but because India no longer represents what it used to.
A Mirror India Refuses to Face
Pakistan has often faced unfair scrutiny on the global stage, but what’s shifting now is telling. After Pahalgam, Islamabad’s narrative gained traction not because of a PR campaign—but because India’s aggressive stance has become unsustainable. The more New Delhi lashes out—against the U.S., against Canada, against BRICS—the clearer it becomes: the problem isn’t outside India. The problem is within. In trying to become a “Vishwaguru”—a spiritual guide to the world—India is losing the very moral authority it once used to claim leadership. And unless its political and media establishment is willing to confront this reality, India won’t just be a country in decline. It will be a cautionary tale of how propaganda, unchecked, turns a rising power into a globally isolated one.
