Cohesion at Home Must While Backing an Equitable World

As India champions the cause of the Global South, it must address its domestic vulnerabilities. International leadership requires a balance between ambition and resilience

- MANISH TEWARI

AS a new year begins, India finds itself at an inflection point in international relations that are being moulded by significant geopolitical changes, economic uncertainties and rapid technological advancements.

As the world's largest democracy and the fifth-largest economy, India still holds the potential to shape the institutions of global governance while addressing domestic challenges. To fulfil this promise, the nation must skilfully manage the complexities of geopolitics, economic diplomacy, multilateral leadership and regional stability all while striving to foster a stable and inclusive global order.

Relationships with global powers: In a quasi-multipolar world dominated by countries like the US, China and Russia, our foreign policy once again seeks to focus on maintaining strategic autonomy-a new nom de guerre for non-alignment while fostering meaningful ties with them. India's partnership with the US has somewhat cooled due to legal proceedings in US courts, as manifested by the recent attack by the BJP on the US State Department, notwithstanding the shared interests, particularly in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific to surmount the China challenge.

The Indo-US relationship has become an oxymoron. While initiatives like the Quad and on emerging technologies underscore collaboration, allegations linking Indian officials to controversies and differing views on Russia and Iran create brittleness.

With Donald Trump's re-election, potential shifts in trade policies, along with unresolved issues like visa restrictions and market access for Indian IT firms, could introduce renewed uncertainties.