India’s international influence is growing, and it’s now at a geopolitical crossroads.
With a GDP of more than $3 trillion, India is the fifth largest economy in the world, behind Germany, Japan, China and the United States.
Ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, India has been mostly tight-lipped in condemning Russia over the act. Instead, India has boosted its imports of heavily discounted Russian oil since the war began.
Karthik Nachiappan, who researches Indian foreign policy at the National University of Singapore, noted that the country has a growing influence in the Global South, which is mainly made up of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“Non-alignment has been a primary strategy that has covered Indian foreign policy through the decades,” Nachiappan told CNBC.
“It has given Indian governments over the years a tool, to not entangle itself into issues or affairs that would harm its national interests, primarily economic development,” he added.
However, India’s policy of non-alignment has incrementally transformed into a policy of multi-alignment over the years, Nachiappan added.
Don McLain Gill, a geopolitical analyst at De La Salle University, says India has an independent approach to its foreign policy.
“It is beyond neutrality and looking into ways where India will be able to contribute responsibly and at the same time look after its own interests,” Gill said.
But as the world becomes more polarized, India’s foreign policy decisions will test the country’s superpower ambitions. Watch the video to find out more.
This story originally appeared on CNBC
