India, Feb. 12 -- The conclusion of the long-pending India-European Union trade agreement - described as the "mother of all deals" - is less a sudden diplomatic triumph than a reflection of how deeply geopolitics has reshaped global trade. After nearly two decades of negotiations, the deal has materialised at a moment when pragmatism, not free-trade idealism, defines international economic engagement.

A key trigger for this shift was the tariff-driven disruption of global trade norms during Donald Trump's presidency. By weaponising tariffs and openly prioritising economic nationalism, the United States shattered the post-war assumption that trade liberalisation was inevitable and rules-based. That assumption has not returned. Instead, tr...