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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh Founder, Chairman & Publisher Ilayas Quraishi Chief Operating Officer Ela Dutt Editor Archana Adalja Contributing Editor T. Vishnudatta Jayaraman Advisor Arun Shah Ahmedabad Bureau Chief Peter Ferreira, Deval Parikh, Freelance Photographers Bhailal M. Patel Executive Vice President Chandrakant Koticha-Rajkot, India Executive Director Business Development Jim Gallentine Business Development Manager - U.S. Shahnaz Sheikh Senior Manager Advertising & Marketing Sonia Lalwani Advertising Manager Shailu Desai Advertising New York Muslima Shethwala Syed Sheeraz Mahmood Advertising Chicago Digant Sompura Consultant for Business Development Ahmedabad, India Hervender Singh Circulation Manager Main Office Editorial & Corporate Headquarters 1655 Oak Tree Toad, Suite 155 Edison, NJ 08820-2843 Tel. (212) 675-7515 Fax. (212) 675-7624 New York Office Tel: (718) 784-8555 E-mails editor@newsindiatimes.com advertising@newsindia-times.com subscription@newsindia-times.com Website www.newsindiatimes.com Chicago Office 8846 Lavergne Ave, Skokie, IL 60077 Tel. (773) 856-3345 California Office 650 Vermont Ave, Suite #46 Anaheim, CA 92805 Mumbai Office Nikita Ajay Pai Goregaon, West Mumbai Ahmedabad Office 303 Kashiparekh Complex C.G. Road, 29 Adarsh Society Ahmedabad 380009 Tel. 26446947 F ax. 26565596 Published weekly, Founded in 1975. The views expressed on the opinion pages are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of News India Times. Copyright © 2025, News India Times News India Times (ISSN 0199-901X) is published every Friday by Parikh Worldwide Media LLC., 1655 Oak Tree Toad, Suite 155 Edison, NJ 08820-2843 Periodicals postage paid at Newark, N.J. , and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address change to News India Times, 1655 Oak Tree Toad, Suite 155 Edison, NJ 08820-2843 Annual Subscription: United States: $28 Disclaimer: Parikh Worldwide Media assumes no liability for claims/ assumptions made in advertisements and advertorials. Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed on this page are those of the authors and Parikh Worldwide Media does not officially endorse, and is not responsible or liable for them. US Affairs Opinion News India Times (March 8, 2025 - March 14, 2025) March 14, 2025 3 The Trump-Zelensky SpectacleWent Beyond Geopolitical Drama. OurWorld Is Changing I he world watched in disbelief as Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump clashed on live television, an unfiltered spectacle that laid bare the absurdity of modern geopolitics. Allies watched. Adversaries watched. Mil- lions of ordinary people—across conti- nents—watched. This was not diplomacy behind closed doors, nor was it a carefully curated narrative spun by governments. It was raw, unscripted, and embarrassingly human. What does this mean for humanity? Is our access to real-time political chaos going to bring us together, or will it rip us apart?Will it force the world’s leaders into accountability and reason, or will it amplify division and destruction? We now have access to knowledge and tools like never before. The exponential advance of artificial intelligence, comput- ing, robotics, and sensors has accelerated this transformation, making it possible for people at every level of society to tap into capabilities once reserved for the elite. A few weeks ago, when I was in India, a beggar approached me asking for money. I told him I didn’t have any cash. He grinned, whipped out his smart- phone displaying a QR code, and asked me to send it digitally. I stood there for a second, unsure whether to be amused or impressed. Here was someone who probably didn’t have a home, yet he was fully integrated into the digital economy. He was more financially savvy than some government officials I’ve met. The poorest of the poor in the develop- ing world now have access to the same advanced technologies as the wealthiest in theWest. Digital payments, instant communication, and limitless informa- tion have collapsed barriers that once separated classes and nations. For centuries, power was maintained through secrecy and control of informa- tion. Today, that control is slipping. The Zelensky-Trump fiasco—whether it leads to Ukraine’s destruction or forces a peace deal—was witnessed by the world in real time. It exposed the weaknesses of leaders and the dysfunction of global diplomacy. Adversaries who watched now have lever- age. Allies who watched now have doubts. Could this radical transparency also be a force for accountability? Could it push leaders beyond their egos and ambitions to do what is right? Trump, for all his blus- ter, may now have leverage over Putin. If he can humiliate Zelensky so publicly, what does that mean for Russia’s strong- man?Will he be willing to risk the same fate?Will it push him toward a reason- able negotiation? The balance of power is shifting in unprecedented ways. We have faced similar moments in history, but never with such visibility. When the BerlinWall fell, the world saw it through television cameras. When the Arab Spring unfolded, social media amplified the voices of protestors. Today, the interconnectedness of information is even more profound. Anyone with a smartphone can document, broadcast, and influence global events. A single viral clip can shift public opinion or expose corruption in ways that once took de- cades. In The Driver in the Driverless Car, I asked whether technology would lead us toward a utopian or dystopian future. We are now facing that choice, but at a scale that transcends industries and econo- mies—it is a choice for all of humanity. The same tools that connect us and allow a beggar to receive money through a mobile transaction can also be used to spread propaganda, incite violence, and manipulate reality. AI-generated deep- fakes, misinformation campaigns, and algorithmic echo chambers distort truth and sow division. Yet these same tech- nologies can empower individuals, hold governments accountable, and foster innovation. Blind trust in leadership, institutions, and media narratives is over. People are no longer passive observers; they are ac- tive participants in shaping reality. Lead- ers can no longer operate in darkness without consequences. This new reality demands discern- ment—the ability to sift through noise and find truth. It demands responsibil- ity—to use our access to information wisely rather than succumb to manipula- tion. And it demands courage—to push for the world we want rather than accept dysfunction. The Trump-Zelensky confrontation may feel like just another episode in an ongoing geopolitical drama, but it is a symptom of something much larger. The world is changing. Power is shifting. The structures that held nations together are fracturing under the weight of new reali- ties. The poorest of the poor now have tools they never had before. The most powerful can no longer hide their flaws. We are at a crossroads. The choice is ours. Do we use this moment to forge a better future? Or do we allow ourselves to be consumed by the very technologies that were meant to liberate us? The best part is that transparency doesn’t just expose dysfunction—it cre- ates the possibility for reinvention. The same technologies that disrupt govern- ments also empower visionaries in the most unexpected places. AI, biotech- nology, and decentralized finance are no longer the domain of the privileged; they are tools for anyone bold enough to solve real problems. A single entrepre- neur in a remote village can now develop breakthroughs that once required entire institutions. This is our moment to reclaim control—to use technology not as a weapon of division but as a force for unity and progress. The forces that challenge us can also be the ones that propel us forward—if we have the wisdom and courage to seize them. -Usedwith express permission from the author (This article first appeared in Fortune, on March 3, 2025) ByVivekWadhwa - Continued On Page 4 PHOTO:CourtesyVivekWadhwa US Pushes India To Lower Tariffs, Buy More Defense Products For Fair New Deal I ndia needs to buy more defence products and lower its tar- iffs on U.S. products for the two countries to be able to sign a “grand” bilateral deal, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told India Today television on Friday. India’s import tariffs, among the highest in the world, war- rant a reassessment of its “special relationship” with the United States, Lutnick said, speaking fromWashington. He also asked India to shift defence equipment purchases away from Russia. Lutnick’s remarks come weeks ahead of U.S. President Don- ald Trump’s planned reciprocal tariffs from early April on trading partners, including India, which are worrying exporters across sectors ranging from autos to electronics. “We would like to focus on a bilateral conversation just be- tween India and the United States – bring down the tariff levels By Shivangi Acharya and Manoj Kumar