New Delhi/Washington: India is increasingly asserting its strategic independence and shifting away from a posture of yielding to US demands, political analyst Ian Bremmer has said, coining a new diplomatic metaphor to describe the change.
In an interview with NDTV at the Davos summit, Bremmer explained that India now sits firmly on what he calls the “TACO” spectrum — Trump Always Chickens Out, indicating New Delhi’s growing confidence in dealing with Washington.
“India is more on the TACO scale,” Bremmer said, suggesting that the United States — particularly under President Donald Trump — tends to fold when challenged by countries with substantial strength. “Trump always chickens out when challenged by real strength.”
Bremmer added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands this dynamic and “It is not urgent for Modi to respond to Trump in the way he wants.”
He contrasted the TACO category with the FAFO (short for “fool around
and find out”) scale, where weaker nations face repercussions for defying stronger powers. According to Bremmer, India’s economic fundamentals — with projected growth of seven to eight percent this year — give it strategic freedom that makes it less dependent on U.S. trade outcomes. This view is reinforced by the International Monetary Fund’s forecast raising India’s GDP outlook for fiscal year 2026 to 7.3 percent, up from 6.6 percent.
The backdrop to this shift includes the stall in long-awaited India–US trade deal negotiations, with high U.S. tariffs on Indian goods and New Delhi resisting pressure to make concessions. Bremmer’s remarks underline that India’s approach contrasts with other countries more reliant on American markets.
At the same time, India’s pivot toward diversified global partnerships — especially a near-final Free Trade Agreement with the European Union after nearly two decades of talks — reinforces its broader strategy of asserting autonomy while protecting national interests. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has described the EU pact as the “mother of all deals,” a “super deal” for India’s export sectors.
Analysts say this evolving strategy not only diminishes Washington’s leverage but also strengthens India’s standing as a major global player capable of shaping its own economic and strategic future.