The Evolving Trajectory of India’s Foreign Policy: Non-alignment to Multi-Engagement and Beyond

While aspiring to achieve certain core goals, foreign policy evolves and transforms itself over time in order to respond to the changing environment. Formulation of foreign policy is not entirely dependent on what a State desires to pursue (taking into consideration its requisite capabilities and perceived national interest) but very often reciprocity shapes the patterns as time; place; and actor dimensions come to influence both perception and application. Nevertheless, in some cases, a definite trend is possible to ascertain despite far-reaching changes in world power equations, emergence of novel challenges and shifts in ideological positions. Such a trend in the evolving trajectory of India’s foreign policy is clearly discernible. However, the world has been constantly experiencing a plethora of diverse economic and security challenges of both traditional and non-traditional kinds and the perception about the present world order and its future keeps eliciting reaction and response of different types. India’s acclaimed non-aligned stance during the Cold War bipolar structure loses relevance as a strategy in the contemporary multi-polar (or, more appropriately, oligo-polar) world, and as scholars argue, India focuses now on multi-engagement and multilateralism (hardly, multi-alignment though) to maintain its strategic autonomy. In fact, the reformed multilateralism guided by enlightened national interest is the key to understand India’s foreign policy in the contemporary period that in essence goes beyond mere multi-engagement crystallizing increasingly into a cohesive set of principles. If India was a pioneer of the non-aligned movement, India’s post-Cold War policies of multi-engagement inspire many others to follow suit as visible dividends accrue. Specific developments influence not only the policies and relations of the States in the neighbourhood but also of major powers and the relations are qualitatively changing as an ‘Emerging India sub-story’ to the ‘Rising China narrative’ departs from the erstwhile pattern of foreign policy-formulation seeking greater role in world affairs. The journey of a post-colonial, newly-independent developing country towards front-ranking position in the comity of nations provides a fascinating account of twists and turns, setbacks and successes. What appeared as inconsistencies might have a sub-text of consistent ethos after all. The article will seek to explore the key consistent elements in India’s foreign policy while taking note of the changing exterior patterns. While an examination of historical developments would be undertaken to form a background, discussion will shed light primarily on contemporary trends viewed as the accelerated outcomes of habitual conviction.