The ‘self’ pivot in Indian diplomacy

Self-reliance, self-protection, and self-confidence seem to outline New Delhi's approach to contemporary world politics

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In a world (dis)order marked by narrow nationalism, protectionism, exaction and aggression, how can a rising power ensure its continued upward mobility? This is a fundamental grand strategy question facing India’s policymakers as they reckon with an uncertain, mean-spirited and risky international environment where sudden and unexpected pressures and twists are the new normal.

Given the limits of any single country in reversing or correcting the course of the current global trend towards self-help and self-centred behaviour, it is logical for India to focus on what lies in its own hands, i.e. building indigenous capabilities that can shield it from the vicissitudes of adverse international headwinds.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar has spelt out three concepts guiding India’s approach to the contemporary world, viz. self-reliance (aatmanirbharta), self-protection (aatmaraksha) and self-confidence (aatmavishwas). The same three principles were reiterated by commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, who cited the context of a “new geopolitical and geo-economic order” and stressed the need to bank on oneself during “difficult times”. While the three “self” ideas are not freshly minted, they are being articulated as a troika due to multidimensional international risks which have been piling up. The Narendra Modi government made self-reliant India a primary policy objective in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic unleashed selfish worldwide export controls and trade restrictions on essential commodities. The Aatmanirbhar Bharat motto got another fillip in 2022 when western economic sanctions over the Russia-Ukraine war triggered global food, fertiliser and energy shortages.