Context
At the Atavalli Summit on “India and the World Order: Preparing for 2047”, held at Jawaharlal Nehru University, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar reaffirmed that India’s foreign policy will remain rooted in strategic autonomy, not alignment with any major power bloc.
This assertion comes amid intensifying global rivalries — between the U.S. and China, and the Russia–West divide — where India continues to maintain issue-based partnerships instead of alliance-based diplomacy.
Key Highlights
- Strategic Autonomy as the Core of Indian Diplomacy
- Dr. Jaishankar emphasized that India’s foreign policy is not about solving others’ problems, but about leveraging relationships to serve India’s national interest.
- India will not be drawn into bloc politics and will act independently to maximize its strategic advantage.
- He reiterated that non-alignment has evolved into “multi-alignment” — a pragmatic, flexible approach that allows India to engage across divides without ideological constraints.
- Historical Continuity and Modern Relevance
- The minister traced the roots of this approach to India’s non-aligned stand during the Cold War, including:
- Neutral position in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, despite U.S. pressure.
- Close ties with the Soviet Union, but simultaneous engagement with the West.
- Today, this spirit of independence continues in India’s balanced diplomacy among the U.S., Russia, and China.
- Managing Relations with Neighbours
- On Pakistan, Jaishankar reiterated that India will not normalize ties until Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism.
- On Bangladesh, he praised strong ties based on trust and mutual benefit, calling it a model neighbourhood partnership.
- He cautioned that India must be prepared to act unilaterally if its sovereignty is threatened — a clear signal of strategic assertiveness.
- India’s ties with China remain “complex”, with continuing border tensions; yet both countries must manage relations through diplomacy and deterrence.
- Global Balancing and Partnerships
- India is pursuing issue-based coalitions — e.g., QUAD, BRICS, I2U2, and G20 — rather than fixed alliances.
- Dr. Jaishankar stressed the need to retain flexibility amid shifting power equations, where rigid alignment could reduce India’s global agency.
- India’s rise as a developmental and democratic power positions it as a stabilizing force in a fragmented world order.