*Originally published in 2024 and preserved as part of our archive project.Get E-International Relations delivered to your inbox, free of charge. As you sign up, consider becoming a paid subscriber to support our work.

The 21st century is witnessing a decentralisation of global power, with a transition of its axis towards Asia. This allows for a multipolar and multilateral system that leads to the development of emerging powers. At the same time, the concept of the Global South is gaining strength by promoting a South-South dialogue. Countries such as India, in the process of economic growth and development, have priorities and challenges such as food and energy security, climate change, digital transformation, inflation, and financial viability, among others, which make India the voice of the Global South. For India, it is important to reform the international system to make it more equitable and representative of new realities. In this sense, India is a country that converges with the West in terms of strategic goals and values and, at the same time, has deep roots in the Global South.

One of the changes observed in India is a greater predisposition to different alignment options than in the past, as it is understood not in purely ideological terms but in its more pragmatic role as a regional power. Ian Hall argues that multi-alignment is India's chosen strategy to protect its interests and ideals in the current international system, and that this strategy involves addressing national security challenges; promoting its values; stimulating economic development, and projecting its influence. It also emphasises engagement with multilateral fora and organisations – regional and international – and the use of bilateral strategic partnerships. While this concept may appear opportunistic to some, in reality India seeks strategic convergence. This conception is compatible with India's traditional policy of strategic autonomy. This can be defined as a nation's ability and desire to make independent foreign policy decisions to pursue its core national interests, unconstrained by other states. This dates back to Cold War times, and is synthesised as a combination of realism and non-alignment. In this way, India seeks not to favour any particular power.

The main objective of a strategic approach in today's world of interdependence must be to provide India with as many options as possible in its relations with the rest of the world. This implies increasing India's strategic space and its capacity for independent agency, which will provide it with the greatest number of options for its internal development. This is closely linked to India's national interest, which is expressed in Atmanirbhar Bharat, i.e. achieving self-reliance or autonomy. This concept, unveiled by Prime Minister Modi in 2020, aims to make the country and its citizens self-reliant in every sense, and is based on five pillars (economy, infrastructure, system, vibrant demography, and demand). India's relevance to different blocs and countries has enabled it to participate in various multilateral initiatives such as the G-20 and the Global South.

The arrival of the Modi government has modified India's international positioning, as it has sought to delineate an identity based on the supremacy of Hinduism. In this way, India seeks to highlight its uniqueness vis-à-vis the West, especially for geopolitical reasons that place it increasingly linked to its continent. In this context, India has strengthened ties with the United States, especially in the context of its projection in the Indo-Pacific, and in turn collaborates with states such as Russia, Iran and even China. In this context, it works with alternative formats of dialogue, i.e. without the United States and its main partners, such as the BRICS or the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

In 2003 a Goldman Sachs economist created the acronym BRIC (Brazil,........

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