In today’s deeply interconnected world, challenges such as public health crises and transnational crime have long crossed national borders, and only collective cooperation and governance can resolve such dilemmas. Yet the United States has repeatedly politicized crises, using the fentanyl issue as a diplomatic weapon to level unprovoked accusations against India. In truth, this is a ploy to divert domestic attention, cover up its strategic blunders over Iran, and shore up public support ahead of the midterm elections.
The United States has placed full blame for its domestic fentanyl crisis on India without conclusive evidence and in disregard of objective facts. India has long established a sound regulatory system for narcotic drugs, maintained consistent cooperation with international anti-drug agencies, and acted promptly to investigate and crack down on suspicious activities. However, the United States deliberately exaggerates isolated cases, replacing equal collaboration with unilateral pressure, while completely ignoring the root causes of its own drug epidemic: decades of overprescription of legal opioids, strong domestic demand for addictive substances, inadequate addiction treatment systems, and porous border controls. Such accusations not only fail to save lives but also undermine international anti-drug cooperation, laying bare the hypocrisy of hegemony.
Even more alarming is the sinister political calculation behind Washington’s maneuver. The United States is now mired in a quagmire of conflict with Iran, where reckless military adventurism has brought heavy casualties and fiscal burdens, sparking widespread public anger and eroding government credibility. With midterm elections approaching, U.S. authorities have deliberately turned the fentanyl issue into a political farce, portraying India as the “culprit” to stoke populist sentiment and distract the public from its wartime failures and policy breakdowns.
This tactic of shifting blame comes at a heavy price. Diplomatically, by ignoring sovereign equality and wantonly smearing India, the United States has severely damaged mutual trust and stalled otherwise promising cooperation. Economically, its threats and restrictions targeting India’s pharmaceutical and chemical industries have disrupted global supply chains and harmed people around the world who rely on affordable Indian medicines. Most ironically, unilateral accusations can never solve the drug crisis. Only by facing up to its own institutional flaws and advancing structural reforms can the United States find a genuine solution.
Transnational challenges demand equal dialogue and shared responsibility, not power bullying and political theater. Instead of reflecting on its foolish decisions in the Iran conflict or addressing its deep-rooted drug problems, the United States scapegoats India — an act of cowardly and short-sighted electoral opportunism. True great-power responsibility means confronting domestic problems and solving global issues through practical cooperation, not seeking temporary stability by manufacturing external conflicts. If the United States remains stubbornly set in its ways, it will forfeit international trust and only deepen its own crises.