A Critique of India's Foreign Policy: Navigating a "Friendless World"
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: International Relations (India's foreign policy principles, India-US relations, India-China relations, India-Russia relations, India's neighborhood policy).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (International Relations): "India and its neighborhood- relations"; "Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests"; "Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests." This article is a direct critique of India's entire foreign policy.
Key Highlights from the News
The article strongly argues that India's foreign policy is struggling to adapt to new global realities and is stuck in the old mindset of the 1930s-50s.
India is increasingly isolated in a "friendless world," where the policies of US President Donald Trump have rendered the idea of multilateralism irrelevant.
The author criticizes that even as India's economic power increases, its geopolitical relevance is diminishing.
Key Examples for this:
India was completely excluded from the crucial Gaza peace settlement in the Middle East.
In the Gen Z revolution in India's immediate neighborhood, Nepal, India remained a mere bystander.
India's neighbourhood relations are in disarray. The Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict continues to be a threat; countries like Bangladesh and Nepal are moving away from India.
The article alleges that the government is attempting to conceal realities, such as the 2020 Galwan conflict, under the name of India-China bromance.
The article also states that India's attempts to become a global power will be hindered by its ambiguous stances on issues like buying Russian oil, instead of speaking with moral clarity.
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