New Delhi, June 10 -- In a world recoiling from America's secession from the global economy under US President Donald Trump, India's policymakers have to answer three questions.

One, does international trade remain an instrument of improving efficiency in production and consumption? Two, does US abdication of its traditional leadership of the rules-based global system mean the end of rules for mutual engagement among other nations? And, three, do regional trade blocs make sense for a country like India?

Clarity was provided on these matters by former Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in a recent media interaction. As a believer in the benefits of globalized growth, he said he would like India to shed some of the...