Michael Rubin, a military strategist with the American Enterprise Institute, has criticised the Trump administration for not blocking a $1 billion IMF bailout to Pakistan. Speaking in a video comment and writing in the Washington Examiner, Rubin argued the move came despite Pakistan's continued use of terrorism as state policy, as reported by TOI.
“By sending money to Pakistan, the IMF is also effectively bailing out China. Pakistan is today a satrapy of China, its Gwadar port was the original pearl on China’s string, and its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has put Islamabad $40 billion in the red,” said Rubin, who taught at the Naval Postgraduate School until 2021.
He expressed concern that the IMF aid was granted soon after terror groups based in Pakistan infiltrated India and “executed non-Muslims in front of their families.”
Rubin labelled Pakistan “one of the world’s most corrupt countries” and called the IMF’s decision a snub to then-President Donald Trump. “To release $1 billion to a terror-addled, pro-China regime at a time the White House has been seeking to de-escalate tensions between two nuclear states was not just about Pakistan; it was about the IMF thumbing its nose at President Donald Trump,” as told to TOI.
India-Pakistan conflict: “A complete defeat” for Islamabad
Rubin also weighed in on the four-day military standoff between India and Pakistan, calling it a clear victory for New Delhi. He dismissed Pakistani military claims of inflicting costs on India and said the opposite occurred.
“There is absolutely no spin Pak military can put on what occurred to shield themselves from the full reality of the fact that they not only lost, but they lost very, very badly,” Rubin said.
According to him, Pakistan sought a ceasefire in desperation. “It was Islamabad that went running like a scared dog with its tail between its legs to achieve a ceasefire,” he stated.
Trump’s diplomatic claims under scrutiny
Former President Donald Trump had claimed credit for brokering peace between India and Pakistan, saying his administration leveraged trade talks to defuse tensions. “Let’s stop it,” Trump recalled telling both sides. “If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not gonna do any trade.” He added, “People have never really used trade the way I used it.”
Rubin countered that such comments not only drew a false equivalence between a terror-victim and a terror-sponsor but also endangered years of diplomatic progress. “By bragging about how he could leverage trade to stop fighting,” Rubin wrote, “not only did Trump draw moral equivalence between terror-sponsoring Pakistan and terror-victim India, but he signalled to India that the whims of U.S. leaders would endanger its defence supply chain into the future.”
A fragile defence partnership
Rubin highlighted that New Delhi, once a staunch non-aligned state heavily dependent on Russian arms, had been shifting towards American defence partnerships. This included interest in acquiring F-35 stealth fighter jets. He noted that Russia’s war in Ukraine had disrupted its defence exports, pushing India to explore alternatives.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced India to reconsider its strategy. With Russia bogged down in Ukraine, Moscow defaulted on several billion dollars in defence deliveries to India on aircraft engines and weaponry,” Rubin explained.
However, he warned that Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy could jeopardise this transition. “Trump has pushed American defence workers under the bus to make France great again,” Rubin said. “Sometimes, the cost of bragging can be measured in billions of dollars.”
Trump had previously predicted “many billions of dollars” in future defence deals during a joint press briefing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India rejects mediation, US walks back statement
While Trump celebrated the ceasefire as a diplomatic milestone, India made no mention of any external intervention. In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi did not reference US involvement. India has consistently opposed third-party mediation in its disputes with Pakistan.
Trying to soften Trump’s claim, the US State Department said it welcomed the ceasefire but supported direct talks between the two countries. “What we are happy to see is a ceasefire. We want to encourage and see direct talks between the parties,” said Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott. “Taking a step back, the President is a peacemaker, and we celebrate the advancement of peace. We hope the ceasefire will be maintained.”
Rubin concluded that Trump’s statements and policy choices had eroded Indian confidence in US reliability as a defence partner. He argued that while past administrations from George W. Bush to Joe Biden had worked steadily to build a strong India-US strategic bond, the Trump era had introduced new uncertainty.
“From President George W. Bush to President Joe Biden, bilateral ties strengthened with every administration so that the United States and India appeared poised to become the partnership that would strategically define the 21st century,” Rubin observed.
For Rubin, the bigger cost of the Trump-era diplomacy may not be measured in headlines, but in lost trust and derailed defence ambitions.
(With inputs from TOI)
“By sending money to Pakistan, the IMF is also effectively bailing out China. Pakistan is today a satrapy of China, its Gwadar port was the original pearl on China’s string, and its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has put Islamabad $40 billion in the red,” said Rubin, who taught at the Naval Postgraduate School until 2021.
He expressed concern that the IMF aid was granted soon after terror groups based in Pakistan infiltrated India and “executed non-Muslims in front of their families.”
Rubin labelled Pakistan “one of the world’s most corrupt countries” and called the IMF’s decision a snub to then-President Donald Trump. “To release $1 billion to a terror-addled, pro-China regime at a time the White House has been seeking to de-escalate tensions between two nuclear states was not just about Pakistan; it was about the IMF thumbing its nose at President Donald Trump,” as told to TOI.
India-Pakistan conflict: “A complete defeat” for Islamabad
Rubin also weighed in on the four-day military standoff between India and Pakistan, calling it a clear victory for New Delhi. He dismissed Pakistani military claims of inflicting costs on India and said the opposite occurred.
“There is absolutely no spin Pak military can put on what occurred to shield themselves from the full reality of the fact that they not only lost, but they lost very, very badly,” Rubin said.
According to him, Pakistan sought a ceasefire in desperation. “It was Islamabad that went running like a scared dog with its tail between its legs to achieve a ceasefire,” he stated.
Trump’s diplomatic claims under scrutiny
Former President Donald Trump had claimed credit for brokering peace between India and Pakistan, saying his administration leveraged trade talks to defuse tensions. “Let’s stop it,” Trump recalled telling both sides. “If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not gonna do any trade.” He added, “People have never really used trade the way I used it.”
Rubin countered that such comments not only drew a false equivalence between a terror-victim and a terror-sponsor but also endangered years of diplomatic progress. “By bragging about how he could leverage trade to stop fighting,” Rubin wrote, “not only did Trump draw moral equivalence between terror-sponsoring Pakistan and terror-victim India, but he signalled to India that the whims of U.S. leaders would endanger its defence supply chain into the future.”
A fragile defence partnership
Rubin highlighted that New Delhi, once a staunch non-aligned state heavily dependent on Russian arms, had been shifting towards American defence partnerships. This included interest in acquiring F-35 stealth fighter jets. He noted that Russia’s war in Ukraine had disrupted its defence exports, pushing India to explore alternatives.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced India to reconsider its strategy. With Russia bogged down in Ukraine, Moscow defaulted on several billion dollars in defence deliveries to India on aircraft engines and weaponry,” Rubin explained.
However, he warned that Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy could jeopardise this transition. “Trump has pushed American defence workers under the bus to make France great again,” Rubin said. “Sometimes, the cost of bragging can be measured in billions of dollars.”
Trump had previously predicted “many billions of dollars” in future defence deals during a joint press briefing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India rejects mediation, US walks back statement
While Trump celebrated the ceasefire as a diplomatic milestone, India made no mention of any external intervention. In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi did not reference US involvement. India has consistently opposed third-party mediation in its disputes with Pakistan.
Trying to soften Trump’s claim, the US State Department said it welcomed the ceasefire but supported direct talks between the two countries. “What we are happy to see is a ceasefire. We want to encourage and see direct talks between the parties,” said Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott. “Taking a step back, the President is a peacemaker, and we celebrate the advancement of peace. We hope the ceasefire will be maintained.”
Rubin concluded that Trump’s statements and policy choices had eroded Indian confidence in US reliability as a defence partner. He argued that while past administrations from George W. Bush to Joe Biden had worked steadily to build a strong India-US strategic bond, the Trump era had introduced new uncertainty.
“From President George W. Bush to President Joe Biden, bilateral ties strengthened with every administration so that the United States and India appeared poised to become the partnership that would strategically define the 21st century,” Rubin observed.
For Rubin, the bigger cost of the Trump-era diplomacy may not be measured in headlines, but in lost trust and derailed defence ambitions.
(With inputs from TOI)
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