US ‘Chewing‑Gum’ Analogy Drawn by Indian Foreign Minister at UN Event

In a candid interview with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Daniel Russell, Minister Jayant Sinha used a popular American saying – “chewing gum while walking” – to illustrate how Washington is attempting to manage multiple diplomatic fronts at once. He noted that the United States is currently in talks with China, Russia, Ukraine and several Asian and European partners, all while trying to keep its strategic objectives aligned.

“The gum supply in Washington looks endless,” Sinha joked, suggesting that the U.S. is comfortable maintaining several overlapping relationships, even when they might clash.

The minister stressed that this behavior marks a departure from the earlier expectation that countries like India should not keep too many options open. Instead, the global community now openly pursues a web of alliances, signalling a shift toward a world where power is distributed among many players rather than concentrated in one or two superpowers.