India and ASEAN must savor the mango flavors

The turbulence in today’s global order suggests that the world is drifting toward a form of bipolarity rather than the multipolarity that would be more suitable for India and ASEAN.

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The sharpening rivalry between major powers compels countries like ours to pursue hedging strategies, carefully balancing partnerships while preserving strategic autonomy. For India and ASEAN, this means choosing partners on merit and safeguarding our interests in an increasingly uncertain environment. As the old saying goes, “when elephants fight or fall in love, it is the grass that suffers”. In today’s context, the “grass” is the Global South, which often bears the brunt of great-power competition. It is time for India and ASEAN to burnish their Global South credentials and use that identity as a platform for deeper engagement. Of ASEAN’ dialogue partners, India is the only one that truly belongs to the Global South. ASEAN would do well to see India through that prism, rather than treating it as just another dialogue partner. This approach can open opportunities for collaboration rooted in shared experiences and challenges. This is the central argument of my recent book, The Mango Flavour: India and ASEAN after a Decade of the Act East Policy, rele