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India’s Great Power Debate
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Context
A Foreign Affairs article titled “India’s Great Power Delusions – How New Delhi’s Grand Strategy Thwarts Its Grand Ambitions” has sparked debate on India’s claim to emerging Great Power status and its positioning in global geopolitics.
India’s Strategic Position
- Civilisational Strength: India, like China, is a civilisational power with a unique historical trajectory of economic and social transformation.
- Economic Achievements: From famine-stricken beginnings to the Green Revolution and becoming a foodgrain exporter, India’s economic story shows resilience and structural depth.
- Moral Authority in Global Politics: India pioneered the Non-Aligned Movement, mediated in global conflicts such as the Korean War, and projected soft power beyond military might.
Contradictions in Global Perception
- Western Misreading: Critics fail to appreciate India’s ability to manage contradictions, balancing ties with both the U.S. and Russia despite strategic frictions.
- Evolving Partnerships: India joined the Quad and engages in multilateral forums like SCO, signalling flexible diplomacy rather than rigid bloc politics.
- Strategic Autonomy: Despite pressures, India sustains defence and energy ties with Russia while deepening partnerships with the U.S., reflecting independent foreign policy choices.
Technology and Future Power
- Digital Transformation: Technological innovation and data are becoming the true markers of global power in the 21st century.
- India’s Technological Capacity: With rising digital infrastructure and global tech workforce contributions, India shows potential to challenge Western dominance.
- Shifting Global Order: The West’s technological lead is narrowing, while India, China, and other Asian nations advance towards shaping new digital and economic structures.
Practice Question
Critically analyse India’s claim to emerging Great Power status in light of global criticisms of its strategic positioning. How do economic transformation, strategic autonomy, and technological capacity shape India’s future trajectory in world politics? (250 words)
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