Mouse Hitting Elephant: US acting as 'world's tough guy' against India is only shooting itself in…, says American economist

American economist Richard Wolff has warned that the United States is acting like the 'world's tough guy' against India, but is only shooting itself in the foot by pushing the BRICS nations to emerge as an economic alternative to the West.

"India is now, according to the United Nations, the largest country on earth. The United States telling India what to do is like a mouse hitting his fist to an elephant," he said, as per foreign media reports.

US tariffs of 50 per cent took effect Wednesday on many Indian products, doubling an existing duty as US President Donald Trump sought to 'punish' New Delhi for buying Russian oil. The move is part of Washington’s campaign to cut revenue sources for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

BRICS vs G7: A historic shift in global economic power

Wolff highlighted that the G7 bloc, including the US, is no longer the world's dominant economic force. Speaking in a podcast, Wolff said, "If you take China, India, Russia and the BRICS, the total share of world output those countries produce is 35 per cent. The G7 is down to about 28 per cent."

He added that Trump’s tariffs are inadvertently strengthening BRICS, saying, "And what you're doing is your hothouse fashion, developing the BRICS to be an ever larger, more integrated and successful economic alternative to the West. We are watching a historic moment."

India’s stand against US tariffs on Russian oil

Wolff said New Delhi’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil despite US pressure demonstrates a shifting balance of power. "But for those with some humour, it will be the spectacle of the United States acting like it's the world's tough guy, as what it actually does is shoot itself in the foot."

New Delhi has criticised Washington’s move as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable."

Wolff explained that US actions, including tariffs, could push India and other BRICS members closer together. "If you shut off the United States to India by big tariffs, India will have to find other places to sell its exports. What you’re doing is developing the BRICS to be an ever larger, more integrated and successful economic alternative to the West," he said.

The economist also highlighted America’s rising debt, now around $36 trillion, as a growing weakness. He noted that countries like China are reducing holdings of US treasuries, raising doubts about how long Washington can rely on foreign lending.

Why US tariffs may fail to revive domestic manufacturing

On Trump administration arguments that tariffs could revive US manufacturing, Wolff said, "No company that is currently manufacturing something in Brazil or China or India is going to make the decision to spend a fortune to move production back to the United States. That makes no sense at all."

He added, "A country with 4.5 per cent of the people of this planet cannot tell the other 95 per cent how to live, what to do, where to go. This is not sustainable and we have to face it."