India’s Foreign Policy Post 2014

Recent trends in Indian Foreign Policy indicate that its foreign strategy contains both elements of continuity and new directions provided by Narendra Modi’s government.

Scholars of Indian foreign policies have claimed that India’s policy has dramatically changed since 1991 and that the Modi period marks a break with Nehruvian policy.
While many others insist that India’s relationship with the rest of the world is not changing and is in fact a continuation.

It is true that India’s foreign policy contains elements of continuity, however, Indian engagement with the rest of the world has seen major structural shifts. This trend has been accelerated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Elements Of Continuity In
India’s Foreign Policy Post 2014

India’s foreign policy under the Narendra Modi government displays two aspects of continuity.

India and Russia continue to enjoy close ties. The Modi government has recently expressed his aspirations to lead the “Global South,” an umbrella term which encompasses developing nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

India’s Relations With Russia: Since 2014, although Russia remains an essential strategic ally for India in many sectors of defence production and procurement, its significance for India’s foreign policy goals has waned considerably.

Engagement With The Global South: India under the Modi government is not returning to the past even as it has discovered new aspects of ‘Global South.’ This represents only part of its increasing engagement with regional and international institutions.

India’s relationships with the US, Europe, and Asia remain important despite India’s renewed ambition to lead the “Global South”, an umbrella term for developing countries.

Major Changes In India’s Foreign Policy Post 2014

India’s foreign relations have undergone three significant transitions while retaining the elements of continuity.

Diminishing Asian Solidarity

The first shift involves moving away from an emphasis on Asian solidarity towards building an Indo-Pacific power system with more equilibrium.

Asian Solidarity was an immensely appealing concept to India’s National Movement during the interwar years, exerting profound sway over India’s foreign relations throughout the 20th century.

As India began its modern nationalism journey, its leaders realised there were shared cultural heritages between it and other Asian countries – which predated European colonial power – which helped strengthen nationalist self-worth.

India’s foreign agenda was preoccupied with postwar unification among Asian nations. Jawaharlal Nathu’s first initiative in foreign policy, the Asian Relations Conference was initiated months prior to India becoming independent in August 1947.

In 1955, Bandung hosted an Afro-Asian Conference. However, China’s attack on India in 1962 put an end to all attempts at creating a non-Western regional system.

Anti-Westernism began to fade with the end of the Cold War, while new opportunities opened up through foreign policy and anti-American rhetoric began to fall away. In the 1990s, however, US involvement in Kashmir disputes between India and Pakistan as well as demands that India rollback its nuclear programme caused friction between US & India and caused tension to return between both nations.

Fearing US unipolar moves would compromise India’s national security, India joined Russia and China to form the BRIC forum as a defence mechanism against any such risks.
Over the last two decades, US’ help in resolving India’s nuclear conflict with western powers has significantly transformed how India perceives its relations with the US.
India responded to China’s challenge during the second half of the 21st Century by strengthening security ties with America to counterbalance China.
India also started taking a more formal approach towards managing balance of power issues within Asia as challenges increased from China.

Nehru sought to isolate India from US influence; under Modi’s government, however, the US is acknowledged as an essential player in shaping regional balance and India has come to realise that supporting Asian nationalism runs counter to their best interests.

India no longer views America as its primary threat; instead, China poses greater threats to India’s national security.

Building Security Partnerships With The West

India has recently placed its emphasis on developing security partnerships with Western nations to reduce its reliance on Russia in strategic matters.

India and the US have strengthened their security cooperation, although Russia remains India’s primary partner in defence.

There has been an increase in military exchanges, joint minilateral exercises with the US and its allies in Asia. Advanced weapon purchases from the US and European countries as well as joining a Quad to mitigate China’s influence in Indo-pacific waters show that India has decidedly moved away from its traditional reliance on Russia in strategic matters.

However, India’s continuing dependence on Russian weaponry has endured. India has diversified its weapon imports over the past two decades by buying more weapons from France, Israel and the US. But Russia still makes up more than 70%.

India is heavily dependent on Russia for spares, equipment and other items. This dependence has become even more acute in light of India’s long-running conflict with China.

Shift From The Pursuit Of Third World Leadership

India’s engagement with the Global South does not look like the Non-Aligned Movement of the past. This engagement is driven less by the lofty ideological goals, and more by the shared interests on issues such as climate change and trade related issues.

Modi’s reign has seen India renew its commitment to the Non-Aligned Movement and to the Global South generally, though not in accordance with an old template that pitted South against West. Instead, India is making efforts to act as an intermediary between West and South; India’s focus on Global South can also be seen as part of India’s effort to counter China’s influence in Asia and Africa.

India built up substantial stakes in developing nations during the Cold War and is not willing to squander them, and let China gain an upper hand and become the voice of the developing countries.
India has made a decisive shift from the pursuit of Third World leadership to the engagement with a range of diverse institutions. Multilateralism has become a new buzzword in India’s foreign policy discourse.
India has shifted its focus to groups with major powers such as the BRICS, the Quad, and the G-4.
India has invested considerable energy in engaging with multilateral and regional institutions such as the G-20, G-7, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Also Read | China’s Encirclement Policy And India’s Response

Salient Features Of India’s Foreign Policy
Under Modi Government

India has seen significant transformation in its foreign policy since 2014 when Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister. The Modi government has made numerous recognizable changes in India’s foreign policy. Some of these changes have been listed below:

Foreign Policy As An Instrument Of National Interest

The Modi government approaches foreign affairs as an instrument of national interest.

Due to rivalries among nations and a desire not to offend others’ feelings, India had previously shown some hesitancy when approaching other countries; now however, India wants to form relationships for mutual benefits.

India joined the Quad of the Indo-Pacific, along with the US and Australia. The Quad was formed with the clear objective to create a region with a shared prosperity and safety.
India has also joined a West Asia Quad, composed of the US, UAE and Israel. At the same time, India continues its engagement with Russia, RIC and BRICKS.
With Russia, closer links are being established on Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries and efforts are on for operationalisation of International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
India and Iran have joined forces to form an alternative pipeline network TAPI. India has also completed the construction of Chahar port in Iran.
Russia’s invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the main guest at the Eastern Economic Forum held in September 2019 as its main guest demonstrates Russia’s desire to include India in its Far Eastern economic strategy.

Effective Multilateralism

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, India’s foreign policies support an effective multilateralism approach. The Modi government’s foreign policy reflects the reality of the rise and development of many countries. Multilateralism attempts to counter any power’s hegemony.

India has begun building relationships with nations which received less consideration due to policy paralysis.
In 2015, he became the first Prime Minister to visit Mongolia. He upgraded the comprehensive partnership into a Strategic Partnership.
Modi upgraded the relationship with Vietnam in 2016 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. The relationship between the two countries was elevated to a strategic level.
He was the first Indian PM to visit Canada and UAE since 1986.

Act East Policy

Modi has aggressively transitioned India’s “Look East ” policy into an “Act East ” policy with the goal of improving infrastructure, regional institutions, and trade ties between India and East Asia. Act East differs from other diplomatic efforts by prioritising both economic and security concerns simultaneously.

India has used its strong relationships with Asean to advocate for a maritime order governed by rules that supports free navigation – particularly in the South China Sea.

Neighbourhood First

The Modi government renewed efforts for improved relations with India’s neighbours under its”Neighbourhood First” policy. India also signed its Land Border Agreement with Bangladesh to address longstanding concerns over adverse enclaves.

Integrating Foreign Policy With Domestic Interests

The Modi Government has sought to integrate India’s foreign and domestic economic interests in an effective and pragmatic manner. It has increased FDI push despite internal opposition; and is using foreign agreements in support of initiatives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

India has signed Free Trade Agreements with Australia, UAE and EU and now enjoys preferential market access and economic cooperation agreements with over 50 nations.

Security And Territorial Integrity

The Modi Government appears to be moving beyond the strategic restraints which previously limited India’s national-security position.

Modi’s Foreign Policy remains anchored in the principle of territorial integrity and security.
Air Strikes and surgical strikes conducted against terrorist targets in Pakistan clearly signalled that the ruling government has a zero tolerance policy for terrorism.
India’s deployment of massive forces, with cutting-edge Rafale aircraft, at its border area sent a clear message that India would uphold its territorial integrity at all costs.

Cultural Diplomacy

India’s foreign policies will focus heavily on civilisational value and cultural diplomacy. India stands out as an energetic, pluralistic country that represents all major religions as well as an array of cultures. India has left an impactful imprint upon the global stage.

This cultural connection is reflected on a wide range of levels, including in the global celebration of International Day of Yoga or UNESCO’s designation of Kumbh as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Indian diaspora will have a significant role to play in constructing the new India.

Shaping Global Agenda

Given India’s rising global status and expectations of its rise from around the globe, Prime Minister Modi has called for reforming multilateralism to create a world order which accurately reflects changing power balances and 21st-century realities.

India is at the forefront of combating climate change, having met its Paris Accord obligations and taken several initiatives to promote a lower-carbon economy. More countries have joined India’s International Solar Alliance.
India also launched a global disaster resilience infrastructure initiative, known as Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure that is making significant headway.