Description
Soon after the start of the War in Ukraine, India coordinated with both Ukraine and Russia to arrange for safe passage for its citizens in the region. However, “Operation Ganga,” as these efforts became known, is only one example of how India has pursued a strategy of multi-alignment. Today, India views itself as a multi-aligned power, where the country maintains diplomatic ties with global powers that are often adversarial towards each other (Hall, 2016; Raghavan, 2017). India’s multi-alignment has no doubt situated the country in a useful geopolitical position—as a burgeoning ally of the U.S., a lucrative partner for the U.K., and an important market for Russia. And yet, the country’s tenuous relations to China suggest that there are potential failure points to full-scale multi-alignment, especially given India’s own rising power ambitions. This paper considers the historic value of India’s multi- and non-alignment alongside its impact on the country’s quest for global power, arguing that India must adapt its multi-aligned policies to the realities of realist great power competition. The paper proposes an innovative pathway for India’s future as a global power: instead of multi-aligned, India should consider a multi-purpose strategy that focuses on advocating for specific policy objectives via transnational cooperation, dialogues, and agreements.
