What we’ve seen from India’s strategic stance is the pinnacle of strategic autonomy, emphasizing diplomatic activity, geopolitical pragmatism, placing national interests before of bloc politics, and maintaining excellent connections with all parties so that India can utilize these relations to get the best possible result, even during times of global turbulence. India also applied ‘strategic autonomy’ as an endeavor to maximize policy space while maintaining national interest. India regards bloc politics as a limitation on its activities and options. So far, India’s recent primary focus has been on balancing China, cultivating strategic ties with both the West and Russia and maintaining a firm strategic grip on the regional geopolitical framework. However, the recent extraordinary developments in international politics pose a significant challenge for India due to its neutral status. India must now deal with both political and economic issues while maintaining prosperity. So, the atmosphere is really difficult for India, despite the fact that India has done exceptionally well so far.
Since its independence, India has maintained a balanced relationship with the superpowers while also maintaining an important presence in the regional strategic stance. However, the world is in the grip of instability for the last two years. The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the economics of various nations. And it was in August 2021 when world geopolitics changed dramatically. The US exit from Afghanistan has prepared it to concentrate on its primary preoccupation, the Indo-Pacific. The issue also exemplifies the conventional US pivot to Asia in order to pave the basis for future competition with China. That’s when Vladimir Putin decided to take the rug out from under the other boxing in Russia, as he saw it. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has transformed global equations in ways that no other strategic event in recent years has, a game-changing event that, like 9/11, has forced a historical pivot. It’s simply that the incident has had such a deep influence that it’s impossible to predict how the consequences will play out.
– SM Saifee Islam, Research Intern, Center for Bangladesh and Global Affairs (CBGA)
[The Geopolitics, 3 August 2022]
