India's Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World

Abstract

This article looks at India's foreign policy narrative, that underpins the notion of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment strategy in an emerging multipolar world order. India’s role as a major power — II With the transformation of the international system from unipolarity dominated by the United States to one of multipolarity taking shape, India has positioned itself well as a key player while holding onto its freedom from traditional blocs. Using qualitative analysis, the research analyses India’s cooperation with multilateral institutions including BRICS, QUAD, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and bilateral engagements, to reveal how India utilizes strategic autonomy to maximize domestic national interests and provide significant inputs to reforming global governance. The paper contends that India’s foreign policy under the Modi government is a demonstration of a new form of assertive multilateralism that is defined by selective engagement, institutional balance of power, and calculated hedging. With empirically rigorous examination of India's diplomatic engagements in terms of bilateral relations with major powers and participation in evolving institutional frameworks, this study illustrates how India’s engagement with great power rivalry process is devoid of entrapment in a suffocating alliance system. The results indicate that India’s practices present a workable exemplar for a rising power in multipolar transitions by proving that strategic autonomy and multi-alignment is indeed capable of enhancing global influence without compromising on its decision-making autonomy. The study both enriches theoretical understanding of multipolarity and has policy relevance for international relations studies.