India's foreign policy has increasingly moved towards value-based partnerships with like-minded democracies. Examine this shift with reference to India's strategic engagements span

GS2 Bilateral Relations
India's foreign policy has increasingly moved towards value-based partnerships with like-minded democracies. Examine this shift with reference to India's strategic engagements spanning the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean.

Examine

  • 15 marks
  • 8 min
  • 250 words
  • Hard

The Hindu

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Introduction

India’s foreign policy, traditionally guided by strategic autonomy and non-alignment, has increasingly evolved towards value-based partnerships with like-minded democracies. Shared commitments to rule-based order, maritime security, democratic governance and economic resilience now shape India’s engagements across the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean regions.

Shift towards value-based partnerships

1. Convergence on democratic values and rule-based order

  • India increasingly collaborates with democracies that support:

    • Freedom of navigation
    • Respect for sovereignty
    • International law, especially UNCLOS

  • This reflects concern over coercive geopolitics and authoritarian expansionism.

2. Indo-Pacific engagements

QUAD Cooperation

  • India’s partnership with the US, Japan and Australia has deepened through the QUAD.

  • Focus areas:

    • Maritime domain awareness
    • Critical technologies
    • Supply-chain resilience
    • Disaster relief and vaccine diplomacy

Strategic balancing

  • India’s SAGAR doctrine and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative aim to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
  • Naval exercises such as Malabar reflect growing interoperability among democratic partners.

Emerging technology and security cooperation

  • Initiatives like iCET (India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology) demonstrate alignment beyond traditional defence ties.

Mediterranean outreach

India-Europe strategic convergence

  • India has expanded ties with:

    • France
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • European Union

  • Shared interests include:

    • Maritime security
    • Energy security
    • Counter-terrorism
    • Connectivity

IMEC and geostrategic significance

  • The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) reflects democratic and transparent connectivity alternatives to debt-driven infrastructure models.
  • It links the Indo-Pacific with the Mediterranean through trusted partners.

Defence and maritime cooperation

  • India-France partnership in the Western Indian Ocean and Mediterranean has strengthened through logistics agreements and joint naval exercises.

Challenges and limitations

  • India continues to preserve strategic autonomy, avoiding formal alliances.
  • Balancing ties with Russia, West Asia and Global South countries sometimes constrains overt ideological positioning.
  • Value-based diplomacy must coexist with pragmatic economic and security interests.

Value Addition

  • Kautilya’s Rajamandala theory: alliances driven by shared strategic interests.
  • EAM S. Jaishankar: “India seeks trusted partnerships in a multipolar world.”
  • 2023 G20 Presidency: emphasized democratic, inclusive and rules-based global governance.

Conclusion

India’s foreign policy today reflects a calibrated transition from strict non-alignment to multidimensional partnerships rooted in shared democratic values and strategic interests. Across the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean, India is emerging as a key pillar of a rules-based and multipolar global order while retaining its strategic autonomy.