Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said on 13 September 2026 that India's economic strength will sustain its global leadership well into the future, while warning that President Donald Trump's trade and foreign policies were driving US partners toward rival powers and eroding Washington's international influence. His remarks came as India hosted the BRICS summit in New Delhi, an event he described as unsurprising given India's growing stature.

Krishnamoorthi's Warning on US Retreat

Speaking to reporters, Krishnamoorthi expressed concern that American policies were inadvertently drawing Washington's friends and adversaries closer together. 'The question is where is America going?' he said. He argued that the United States was absent on critical global issues, stating bluntly, 'We are right now AWOL.'

The congressman squarely blamed Trump's trade, economic, and foreign policy decisions for encouraging countries such as India, Egypt, and Brazil to deepen engagement with Russia, China, and Iran. He noted that nations across Europe, Asia, and Canada were also looking for alternative partners. 'And that is a very dangerous long-term trend for America,' he warned.

While acknowledging visible drift, Krishnamoorthi stopped short of declaring a permanent global realignment. 'I don't think there's necessarily a fundamental realignment, although there is drift that is occurring with regard to our friends, partners, and allies,' he said. He added that those partners were 'eagerly waiting for America to reassert its leadership.'

Scholars Weigh India's Rising Global Profile

Allen Carlson, associate professor of government at Cornell University and an expert on Chinese foreign policy, separately assessed that India's international profile had risen significantly over the past 10 to 20 years. He attributed part of that ascent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's more assertive approach to foreign policy.

Carlson said India's hosting and chairing of the BRICS summit illustrated its growing stature. However, he cautioned that China continued to carry greater weight within the grouping, given its larger economy and more extensive military capabilities.

In a statement issued by Cornell on 11 September, Carlson framed the implications in stark terms: 'BRICS is no longer an incipient power bloc but the core of the emerging international order, with China at its center. The implications for the US are profound.' In a subsequent interview, he tempered that assessment by noting the world had not changed overnight and that the participating powers faced their own domestic challenges.

BRICS Agenda and India-China Tensions

The expanded BRICS gathering in New Delhi addressed a wide-ranging agenda including conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, trade, energy security, and global governance. Carlson noted that the grouping was actively seeking to deepen institutions and mechanisms that could offer an alternative to the US-led international order.

Carlson also flagged persistent bilateral constraints: India and China's unresolved territorial dispute remains a longstanding friction point, and India's relationship with the Tibetan government in exile continues to complicate efforts to strengthen cooperation between the two Asian giants.

Krishnamoorthi's Call for US-India Partnership

Despite his criticism of current US policy, Krishnamoorthi said he wanted Washington to work closely with India and other partners to counter what he described as Chinese economic, technological, and military aggression. He argued that Trump's handling of foreign economic and trade policy had weakened America's capacity to rally countries around shared objectives — a strategic liability, he suggested, that would take time to repair.

As the BRICS grouping continues to expand its institutional footprint, the question of whether Washington can rebuild multilateral trust under its current leadership posture will define global alignments in the years ahead.