New Delhi also finds itself in the US camp without deriving its benefits.

Within the space of a year, India has had to relinquish its bid to exercise strategic autonomy based on its own power and influence and become a junior partner in a US-led alliance.

This is a far cry from the era of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, when India was nonaligned and yet had a significant moral/political influence in the world. It condemned unlawful actions by the big powers, especially the Western powers, and led peace efforts in various theatres of conflict.

It was able to secure the cooperation of the Soviets as well as the US and the West for its economic development. India’s non-alignment was touted as a path to peace.

This is in sharp contrast to the way that India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been touting its policy of “strategic autonomy”. It smacks of the arrogance of a parvenu, which has triggered the animosity of the established powers and apprehensions among small powers, especially the neighbours.  

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the Raisina Dialogue Middle East, held in January 2025, that India had wide interests and growing capabilities and was contemplating the world with confidence.

“We certainly recognise the risks, but we are equally cognizant of the opportunities. For us, the Middle East is an extended neighbourhood with which we have now re-connected in full measure. It is a crucial passage to the world beyond, whether we speak of Africa or the Atlantic. It is about partners with whom we have traditions and comfort. What is needed most at this time is a deepening of our engagement, a prospect made possible today by more conversations and frequent exchanges. Raisina Middle East can make a definitive contribution in that regard,” he said.

Contrast this confident projection of India with what........

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