Letters to The Editor — March 24, 2026

Erratic policy

The dramatic post by U.S. President Donald Trump, on a ‘five-day ceasefire of sorts’, must have stunned Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel. The ‘second coming’ of Mr. Trump has been marked less by strategic doctrine and more by disruptive impulse. Alliances once seen as bedrock as NATO, have been treated as transactional, their value weighed against immediate domestic optics rather than long-term geopolitical balance. Trade agreements and multilateral pacts have been entered and exited with disconcerting ease, reinforcing a perception of the U.S. as an uncertain partner. In conflict theatres, this inconsistency has been stark. Support extended to Ukraine appeared forceful yet episodic, leaving allies unsure of endurance. Europe, once a strategic anchor, has often been addressed with impatience rather than partnership. Even Israel, a beneficiary of unequivocal backing, has found that patronage can pivot abruptly.

R. Narayanan,

Navi Mumbai

PNG transition issue

I wish to draw the attention of government officials to a troubling issue being faced by many consumers registered for piped natural gas (PNG) connections with GAIL (India) Limited. Under the recent government mandate (LPG Amendment Order 2026), households with functional PNG connections must surrender their domestic LPG cylinders. However, GAIL officials and distributors are reportedly asking consumers to surrender their LPG connections before the PNG line has been installed or activated.

Parthasarathy P.,

New Delhi