Author: Md Taufiq Akhtar
Abstract: Since Narendra Modi’s election as Prime Minister in May 2014, India’s foreign policy has seen an active and purposeful reorientation—marked less by doctrinal rupture than by greater operational energy, clearer strategic priorities, and tactical flexibility across bilateral, regional and multilateral arenas. New Delhi emphasised “Neighbourhood First”, recast “Look East” into a more proactive “Act East”, deepened alignments with major democracies (notably the United States and Quad partners) while preserving an enduring partnership with Russia, and expanded economic and energy diplomacy in West Asia and Africa. The 2014–2025 decade also witnessed a more muscular posture on borders (especially after the 2020 Galwan clashes with China), pragmatic hedging between power blocs, rapid expansion of defence diplomacy and defence procurement diversification, and greater use of multilateral platforms (G20, BRICS, SCO) to advance India’s global presence. Simultaneously, India pursued energetic diaspora and commercial diplomacy, and sought greater say in global governance (UNSC reform, global trade architecture). This article maps these strategic vectors, evaluates drivers (domestic politics, economic imperatives, systemic changes such as a more competitive multipolarity), examines key bilateral relationships (U.S., China, Russia, neighbors, West Asia), and assesses prospects and policy trade-offs for the coming decade. The analysis draws on government statements, think-tank assessments and recent academic literature to argue that India’s post-2014 foreign policy is best characterised as calibrated pragmatism underpinned by strategic autonomy and powered by sustained diplomatic activism.
Keywords: India, Foreign Policy, Bilateral, Alignments, Diplomacy.
Page No: 94-99