Strategic shifts in Indian foreign policy in the 21st century: India’s new defense and security re-alignment

Abstract

The Project deals with the effectiveness, viability and necessity of India’s hard power aspect with regards to its foreign relations and foreign policy during these turbulent times of the 21st century. India has come a long way since the days of the Non-Aligned Movement and its tacit alliance with the Soviet Bloc during the days of the Cold War. The project attempts to analyze the possible reasons why India needs to exercise its hard power and the world politics which would force it to do the same sooner or later. Under this CCS project, the first step has been to conduct a Secondary Study through an extensive literature survey of news reports, reports by strategic think tanks, economic and security analysts as well as Governments- both Indian and foreign on India’s and the past and current state of the world politics. The Literature survey aimed at analyzing the present position of India’s foreign policy primarily on the basis of its military and security aspect, its burgeoning defense ties with some of the world’s paramount military powers and the influence this is having on the world and India itself. The Literature survey was followed by the Primary Study executed through conducting in-depth interviews of important people who are presently shaping India’s foreign policy and analyzing the official position of the Indian Government’s foreign policy. The inputs drawn from the Primary and Secondary Studies were used in the scenario building exercise under which five cases which have the highest probability of occurring in the near future were analyzed through the PESTEL Framework and potential Indian responses to each of these situations was postulated and analyzed. These responses would serve as the basis of the final recommendations which aims at re-structuring India’s foreign policy so that India is better able to handle these situations should they occur. Throughout the course of the project, the aim was to analyze India’s Foreign Policy through the eyes of defense analysts and to understand why India needs to effect drastic changes in its Power Projection methods through its usage of its military arm as instruments of State Policy and through simultaneous application of soft power interspersed with hard power. With the world rapidly moving towards a multi-polar world, a potential superpower lies in wait, bidding its time till it is ready to announce its membership for the elite league of nations.