From the Balakot airstrikes to G20 presidency, from COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy to sweeping defence reforms, India’s journey between 2019 and 2025 has been nothing short of transformative. This period does not merely reflect India’s growing regional importance; it marks a decisive redefinition of her global identity. This doctrine, rooted in India’s post-colonial ethos and multipolar aspirations, means India does not align blindly, nor does it isolate itself. Instead, it carefully crafts space to act independently, guided by national interest only.
AMBASSADOR SUSHIL KUMAR SINGHAL, IFS (R) |
FOR NEWS ANALYTICS
a 6 mins read.
In a world increasingly fragmented by geopolitical competition, India has made a quiet but bold pivot that it no longer asks to be counted among the powerful; it acts as one. Whether it is leading global health responses, balancing rivalries in the Indo-Pacific, mediating across ideological divides, or shaping international financial discourse, India’s voice is welcomed and sought. The international community recognizes India not only as the world’s largest democracy, but increasingly as the most trusted, balanced democracy important in shaping the contours of a multipolar order.
India’s strength today lies in its equidistance and equi-engagement. In an age where many countries are forced to choose between competing power blocs, India’s stance is different and deliberate. It does not choose sides but rather creates sovereign space and espouses autonomy in global affairs. This signals that India’s rise is not transactional; it is transformational. The world is witnessing not just the ascent of a nation but the emergence of a new kind of global power, one that is democratic, sovereign, development-focused, and willing to chart its own course.
2019 witnessed groundbreaking choices that heralded a new India as it conducted airstrikes in Balakot, Pakistan, in retaliation for the Pulwama terrorist attack, marking a significant departure from the policy of strategic restraint and indicating to the world that India was no longer willing to be subjected to nuclear blackmail.
With Mission Shakti, India became the fourth country globally to demonstrate anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities, solidifying its space power credentials. The revocation of Article 370, ending Jammu & Kashmir’s special status, signalled India’s resolve to assert constitutional sovereignty and ensure that Indian security interests would not be compromised despite international scrutiny.
The COVID-19 epidemic bolstered India’s credentials as Vishva Bandhu. India launched the Vaccine Maitri initiative, supplying over 66 million vaccine doses to more than 90 countries, when developed countries refused to assist the Global South. This humanitarian act doubled as a strategic tool of soft power, earning global goodwill. The deadly Galwan Valley clash at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) marked a turning point in Sino-Indian ties as India responded with increased troop deployment, infrastructure build-up, and economic measures, forcing China to rethink its strategy of gradual encroachment. India took a bold initiative and signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) with the USA, enhancing geospatial intelligence sharing, which is critical for defence planning.
India increased its defence production capabilities, developing indigenous platforms like Tejas fighters, INS Vikrant, and the Agni-V MIRV-capable ICBM. Defence exports rose sharply, crossing ₹13,000 crore (~$1.6 billion) by 2022.
India continued to maintain deep engagement with Russia and Central Asia through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) while also strengthening ties with the West via the Quad, underscoring its role as a multi-aligned power.
VOICE OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH
As geopolitical divisions deepened, India stepped forward as a representative voice for the Global South. India recognised that many of these countries were being sidelined in global decision-making, caught between US-led agendas and China-centric economic dependencies. In response, India positioned itself as a third axis of leadership, one rooted in mutual respect, development priorities, and sovereign decision-making.
Global South Summit in January 2023, India convened the Voice of Global South Summit, a first-of-its-kind virtual summit involving over 120 countries. The agenda was to amplify the priorities of developing nations on debt relief, climate finance, energy equity, and digital public infrastructure. This was not a one-off meeting, as two more meetings have taken place since then.
India has shared its successful Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) framework (like Aadhaar, UPI, and CoWIN) with willing countries as equal partners, presenting a clear alternative to surveillance-heavy Chinese tech or restrictive Western systems.
India consistently raised concerns about “climate colonialism” in forums like COP28, advocating for climate justice, technology transfer, and equitable energy transitions.
Unlike China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), India has emphasised transparent, non-exploitative development cooperation.
Through lines of credit, capacity-building programs, and infrastructure support (especially in Africa and the Indian Ocean Region), India has championed partnership over patronage, providing choices.
G20 PRESIDENCY
India’s G20 presidency marked a new high in diplomatic influence. Under the theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” India championed initiatives on biofuels, digital public infrastructure, and climate resilience, among others. India made efforts and secured African Union membership in the G20 and achieved a rare consensus on the G20 Leaders’ Declaration despite Ukraine tensions. In fact, India acted as a bridge-builder between West and East, North and South, affirming its role as not just a participant, but a platform.
India deepened naval partnerships with France, Australia, and Indonesia, and expanded the scope of the MILAN naval exercises. The Indian Navy became focused on securing choke points in the Indo-Pacific and took up the role of first responder in the region.
The Government of India has approved Phase III of the Space-Based Surveillance (SBS) programme, deploying over 50 surveillance and communication satellites, enhancing deterrence and network-centric warfare capability.
Strategic agreements have been signed with the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria in wide-ranging sectors including energy, arms, and logistics. India was the pivot in the signing of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) during the G20. India has strengthened the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine, especially with Indian Ocean island nations like Mauritius and Seychelles.
Following a terrorist attack at Pahalgam killing 26 civilians in cold blood, India launched limited but precise air and missile strikes across the Line of Control using drones and cruise missiles, showcasing its ability to hit targets with precision, Pakistani military and terrorist infrastructure. India has signed $7 billion deal for Rafale-Marine fighters for its aircraft carriers. Indigenous development of hypersonic systems, combat drones, and 5th-generation fighter engines advanced rapidly. Defence exports crossed ₹23,000 crore (~$2.76 billion), making India a serious player in the global arms market.
India led mediation efforts in the Myanmar crisis, supported ceasefire talks in Israel-Palestine, and intensified engagement in Central Asia, reflecting a more proactive global stance.
India’s foreign policy today is defined not by who it aligns with but what it protects. This doctrine of strategic autonomy is not neutrality. India chooses to act in its own interest but with global consequences. Today, India is seen as the indispensable democracy, a voice the world needs to hear and heed. India doesn’t pick sides but creates space for multipolar cooperation. It is democratic but pragmatic, nationalist but inclusive, sovereign but globally engaged. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the G20, “This is not an era of war, it is an era for dialogue and diplomacy.” And in this new era, India is the necessary voice of balance.
India does not seek to dominate or dictate. It offers a new strategic vocabulary, one that prioritises dialogue over diktats, multipolarity over monopoly, and sovereignty over subordination. In this century of contestation, India offers something rare: a path of cooperation anchored in conviction. And in doing so, India is not just shaping its future, it is reshaping the world’s.
In an era marked by disrupted alliances, weaponised trade, and polarised politics, India is emerging as a certainty that the world is learning to rely on.
ONGOING CHALLENGES
India’s trajectory toward global leadership is faced with serious challenges. Despite enhanced deterrence, the LAC remains volatile, with continued PLA provocations and infrastructure build-up. India needs to be vigilant and engage with China without hindering its agenda of becoming a developed country by 2047. Cross-border terrorism actively aided and abetted by Pakistan persists as a strategic threat requiring long-term vigilance and counter-intelligence dominance.
India must continue to balance US strategic alignment with its longstanding Russia partnership, especially in defence and energy, particularly during the Presidency of Donald Trump, which has been posing challenges on a daily basis.
India must be nimble-footed and reconcile its development needs with climate responsibilities, while resisting unfair burdens placed on emerging economies. For India’s soft power to resonate globally, it needs to ensure inclusive growth, address rural-urban divides, and strengthen human capital. As digital space becomes contested, India must secure its cyber infrastructure, AI ecosystem, and semiconductor supply chains without dependence on any country.
(Ambassador Sushil Kumar Singhal, IFS (R), former Ambassador to Angola. He has served in Tanzania, Belgium, Bangladesh and Hungry. The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The News Analytics Herald.)
Major Highlights
- From Balakot to G20, India now shapes—not just follows—global discourse.
- India balances ties with the West, Russia, and the Global South without bloc allegiance.
- Championing equitable development, digital access, and climate justice.
- Indigenous defence production, space surveillance, and precision strikes signal new deterrence.
- China’s assertiveness, Pakistan-backed terror, and tech dependencies require sustained vigilance.
