Policy Watch: India’s Place in the World – May 2023

This issue of Policy Watch, themed “India’s Place in the World”, presents a timely reflection on India’s evolving foreign policy amid shifting global power dynamics, compiled by Prof. Somnath Ghosh. Revisiting key themes from its May 2022 edition, it focuses on India’s positioning in multilateral forums like the G-20 and the QUAD, especially relevant amidst the Ukraine war, China border tensions, and India’s current G-20 presidency.

The first article by Chietigj Bajpaee assesses the evolution of India’s ‘Act East’ Policy, marking three decades since its inception. Originally launched to integrate more closely with Southeast and East Asia, the policy remains central to India’s regional engagement. However, it now faces serious challenges: domestically, India’s economic reforms lag behind its strategic ambitions; regionally, ASEAN’s role as a central pillar is being questioned; and globally, intensifying US-China rivalry, magnified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, complicates the geopolitical landscape. Sustaining the relevance of this policy will require careful navigation of these domestic, regional, and international challenges.

The second article, by Arzan Tarapore, introduces the concept of ‘zone balancing’ in the context of India’s strengthened ties with the QUAD. Post-2020, as China became more assertive and the international order more volatile, India recalibrated its strategy. Rather than traditional military posturing, India has chosen to support the resilience of like-minded regional states, indirectly countering China’s influence. This nuanced balancing strategy, while less provocative, offers a pragmatic path in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific.

The final piece—a Brookings Foreign Policy Briefing—analyzes China’s fraying relations with Russia, India, and Europe. By late 2022, Russia appeared increasingly unreliable, Europe wary of China’s Ukraine stance, and India’s neutral diplomacy offered little traction to Beijing. For India, navigating this intricate web of rivalries and alliances will be essential to maintaining strategic autonomy and global influence.