Bangladesh, Sept. 11 -- When US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchange warm words about “friendship” and “limitless potential,” one could be forgiven for thinking a historic economic breakthrough is just around the corner. Both leaders, in their recent statements, emphasized optimism about ongoing trade talks, projecting confidence that an agreement will soon be reached. Yet beneath this cordial rhetoric lies a thicket of contradictions, competing interests, and external pressures that make a clean resolution far less certain than the carefully crafted posts on Truth Social or X suggest.

At the heart of the problem is Washingtons decision to impose tariffs of up to 50% on Indian pr...