Answer

India’s multi-alignment strategy represents a pragmatic shift from traditional Non-alignment, allowing engagement with multiple, often competing global powers. By prioritizing strategic autonomy and forging issue-based coalitions, such as its active participation in both the Quad and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), India navigates the complexities of a polarized international order to safeguard its national interests.

Opportunities of India’s Multi-Alignment Strategy

• Maximising Strategic Autonomy: This approach allows India to make independent foreign policy decisions based on its own interests.
  Eg. India maintained balanced relations by strengthening ties with both the United States and Russia, importing defense equipment from Russia while deepening strategic cooperation with the US.
• Enhancing Security through Diverse Partnerships: India can form issue-based security partnerships to counter varied and specific threats.
  Eg. It participates in the Quad for maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to address terrorism in Central Asia.
• Accelerating Economic Growth: Multi-alignment provides access to diverse markets, capital, and technology from competing blocs.
  Eg. India fast-tracked a trade deal (CEPA) with the UAE and signed one with the EFTA bloc, while also pursuing expanded trade within BRICS, showcasing its economic pragmatism.
• Acquiring Critical Technologies: It enables sourcing advanced technology from multiple partners without being locked into a single ecosystem.
  Eg. India partners with the US on the iCET initiative while continuing its deep cooperation with Russia on nuclear energy.
• Wielding Greater Diplomatic Leverage: India can act as a crucial bridge-builder and consensus-maker in a divided world.
  Eg. During its G20 Presidency in 2023, India successfully forged the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration despite deep US-Russia divisions.
• Shaping Global Norms: Participation in diverse forums allows India to influence global governance from multiple platforms.
  Eg. Hosting the Voice of Global South Summit, India secured consensus among 123 countries to demand UN reforms and inclusive global governance.

Challenges of the Multi-Alignment Approach

• Managing Contradictory Pressures: The primary challenge is balancing competing demands from rival powers on sensitive issues.
  Eg. The USA threat of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions over India’s purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia.
• Reduced Strategic Flexibility: Growing global polarisation is shrinking the room for independent manoeuvring by middle powers like India.
  Eg. The emergence of exclusive security blocs like AUKUS risks marginalising India from critical Indo-Pacific decision-making platforms.
• Credibility Deficit: Partners may doubt India’s reliability and commitment during a direct confrontation between blocs.
  Eg. India’s continued defence and energy ties with Russia during the Russia-Ukraine war raised doubts among Western partners about its strategic alignment.
• Risking Strategic Entrapment: India could be drawn into great power rivalries that are not in its core national interest.
  Eg. The potential pressure to take a military stance in a future US-China conflict over Taiwan.
• Navigating Implementation Complexity: It is difficult to manage interoperability and bureaucratic alignment with multiple, often incompatible systems.
  Eg. Integrating advanced Western defence platforms while maintaining a vast inventory of Russian-origin military hardware.
• Projecting Policy Incoherence: The nuanced approach can appear inconsistent, making it difficult to project a clear foreign policy.
  Eg. India actively participates in the I2U2 grouping while simultaneously developing the strategic Chabahar Port in Iran, a key rival of other I2U2 members.

India’s multi-alignment strategy has allowed it to engage with various global powers, offering strategic flexibility. However, in a polarized international environment, sustaining this approach will require careful balancing of interests and diplomatic agility. By strengthening regional partnerships and prioritizing national interests, India can continue to benefit from its independent foreign policy.

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