A Modi Revolution in India's Relations With Smaller Nations

Earlier, because of resource constraints, lack of vision and bureaucratic neglect, smaller countries were seen as 'afterthoughts', and not partners.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The five-day India visit by the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, commemorating the completion of 76 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, underscored the broader vision behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to engage with smaller states and regions that were previously deemed less significant in India's foreign policy calculus.

PM Modi's recent visits to Thailand and Sri Lanka are also a well thought out engagement with mid-sized and small states, enhancing India's regional clout, countering emerging threats, and projecting soft power while securing economic and strategic gains.

The recent engagements are being seen as perfect examples of the "multi-alignment" philosophy that India has been following. Thailand's close ties with the United States and China have not deterred India's engagement, nor has Sri Lanka's balancing act with China.

This approach—spearheaded by PM Modi and executed with finesse by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar—represents a paradigm shift that could have profound implications for India's global standing in the coming years. This shift is not an accidental development, but a deliberate strategy to connect with overlooked nations across continents, from the Pacific Islands to the Caribbean, Africa to Central Asia, and beyond, say experts.

Before 2014, India's foreign policy was often reactive and narrowly focused—prioritizing immediate neighbours (often through the lens of security concerns like Pakistan and China), major powers (the US, Russia, EU), and a handful of strategic partners tied to historical or economic heft.

Smaller states, regardless of their potential, were rarely on the radar unless they fit into these buckets.