The US Supreme Court’s order halting President Donald Trump’s massive trade tariffs has not only brought a sense of vindication amongst his opponents but also evoked scathing editorials in dailies across the world. Urdu dailies in India also weighed in on the issue, and focussed on its implications for Trump and the world at large. Some of the dailies wrote on the US attack against Iran.
Bengaluru-based Salar published a scathing editorial after the US Supreme Court overturned President Donald Trump’s decision to impose high tariffs on several countries, including India, saying the apex court ‘cut him down to size’. The Court had declared the tariffs illegal and remarked that the law Trump had used for most of his tariffs, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, did not grant the president the powers he claimed.
Salar wrote that the order not only puts an end to Trump’s tariff policy but also weakens him politically. “With his trade policy, Trump was trying to create an impression among his support base that he was making America prosperous (read MAGA), but now they too will feel deceived; especially at a time when the US midterm elections are approaching. After the SC order, his popularity will further come down,” Salar wrote.
Touching upon the geopolitical implication of the order, it warned that Trump could attack Iran on any minor pretext ‘just to show his power to the world.’ The editorial, however, said that an attack on Iran would be easier said than done. “The world is aware that war with Iran wouldn’t just mean a conflict between two counties, but the opening of fronts across the entire region,” the editorial noted.
Ending the editorial with a note of caution for India also, Salar wrote that the US is no longer a trustworthy ally. “When someone is no longer reliable, they can act against anyone at any time; therefore, there is a need to remain cautious,” it said.
SIASAT
In its editorial dated February 24, Siasat called out the US intention of attacking Iran, in what the daily believes is the only obstacle in furthering Israeli interests in the region. The daily wrote that even as the nuclear talks are underway, the ‘US is preparing for aggressive aerial and military attacks against Iran. “The US is not acting independently, rather working as an Israeli puppet. It is trying to transform the region into a battlefield to protect Israeli interests.”
Siasat based its argument on the recent remark by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said ‘Israel has the Biblical right to take over what constitutes large swathes of the Middle East’. “This is the reason why the US and Israel want to eliminate the obstacle – Iran. It further said that ‘plans are also being made to target Iran’s spiritual leader and the religious leadership, and that they want to put in place a puppet government through attacks and military operations.
AKHBAR-E-MASHRIQ
In its February 20 editorial, Akhbar-e-Mashriq put its lens on the ‘surcharged’ political environment in West Bengal where assembly elections are due in the next few months. The daily wrote that though the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool government has tightened its grip on the state, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to topple the current ruling dispensation. “The BJP wants to win the state at any cost. The party has now decided to launch rath yatras across the state. Previously, it had taken out yatras in Uttar Pradesh and other states, which resulted in significant political gains, and now they want to replicate the same in West Bengal,” the editorial said.
The daily, however, argued that there are apprehensions that these yatras are BJP’s strategy to polarise the society on communal lines to reap electoral dividends. “The BJP has every right to contest elections. But in the guise of elections, no one should disturb peace in the state. In a sensitive state like West Bengal, the primary responsibility of the administration and the police should be to ensure that peace, and law & order are maintained at all costs.”