India's Foreign Policy
How India navigates between major powers, the tradition of strategic autonomy inherited from the Non-Aligned Movement, and the challenges of balancing relationships with the US, Russia, and China.
Strategic Autonomy: The Nehruvian Inheritance
India's foreign policy has been shaped since independence by the principle of strategic autonomy. Jawaharlal Nehru co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement, refusing to join either the US or Soviet bloc during the Cold War. This tradition lives on in modern India's reluctance to join formal alliances and its insistence on maintaining relationships with all major powers simultaneously.
Under Narendra Modi, India has pursued what some call 'multi-alignment' rather than non-alignment. India participates in the Quad (with the US, Japan, and Australia), clearly aimed at countering China. It simultaneously maintains deep defense ties with Russia, purchasing the S-400 missile system despite US objections. It is a member of BRICS alongside China and Russia while deepening economic integration with the West. This balancing act has been remarkably successful but faces increasing pressure as US-China competition intensifies.
