2025, Vol. 7, Issue 9, Part D

The decade from 2014 to 2024 marked a transformative period in India's engagement with the world, a definitive departure from the cautious, reactive posturing that often characterised the preceding eras. Under the sustained leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country’s foreign policy architecture was fundamentally re-engineered, shifting from a tradition of non-alignment to a dynamic and proactive doctrine of multi-alignment. This article posits that this period was defined by the recalibration of "strategic autonomy" from a defensive principle of neutrality into a versatile and assertive tool for advancing concrete national interests. We deconstruct this evolution through three cores, interlocking pillars: the conscious projection of India as a civilisational state and leading power (Vishwa Guru); the pragmatic, interest-driven embrace of issue-based alliances across the geopolitical spectrum; and a relentless, if complex, focus on direct neighbourhood engagement under the "Neighbourhood First" policy. The analysis delves into key diplomatic initiatives, the intricate management of critical relationships with the United States, Russia, and China, and the response to epoch-defining global shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War. The article concludes that by 2024, India had successfully carved out a unique position as an indispensable, swing power in a fragmenting international order. However, this hard-won stature is perpetually challenged by the unresolved and intensifying rivalry with China, the inherent tensions in its multi-alignment strategy, and the mounting pressures of an increasingly bipolar world.