The dirty power games powers like the US play

Strange are the ways of politics. Even novices learn the tricks of the trade as soon as they assume office. They may not fathom the essence of the body politic, but they master, or are taught to master, the dirty art of realpolitik, geostrategy and all things that make international relations the mess they are today.

US President Donald Trump has brought that into focus. The world sees him as committing one historical blunder after another. But Trump seems to know what he is doing.

One example of his brinkmanship was his speech on Afghanistan a couple of days ago. Pledging to "fight to win" the war in Afghanistan which the United States started 16 years ago, Trump took an unexpected swipe at India. Calling the country a "natural ally", he said: "We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan ... But India makes billions of dollars in trade from the US and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."