Volume-XII, Issue-II, March 2026 |
ভারতের বিদেশ নীতি: জোটনিরপেক্ষতা থেকে বহু-সংযুক্তির পথে নৌরিন সিদ্দিকী, গবেষক, রাষ্ট্রবিজ্ঞান বিভাগ, ডায়মন্ড হারবার মহিলা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 20.03.2026 | Accepted: 21.03.2026 | Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.02W. | |||||||
India’s Foreign Policy: From Non-Alignment to Multi-Alignment Nourin Siddique, Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, Diamond Harbour Women's University, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
India's foreign policy has undergone a remarkable transformation from the foundational doctrine of non-alignment during the Cold War era to the contemporary practice of multi-alignment in the post-bipolar world order. This paper examines the trajectory of this evolution, tracing the philosophical underpinnings of India's diplomatic posture from Jawaharlal Nehru's vision of non-alignment as a sovereign assertion of independent decision-making to the pragmatic, interest-driven multi-alignment of the twenty-first century. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the unfolding of economic globalization, and the emergence of complex interdependence fundamentally altered the structural context within which India operates. In the new world order, rigid ideological alignment has given way to flexible, issue-based partnerships and engagements. India today navigates a complex web of relationships—participating in China-led SCO while simultaneously engaging in the US-promoted Quad, maintaining strategic autonomy even as it deepens bilateral ties with major powers. The paper explores India's core national interests, its areas of convergence and divergence with the United States and China, its challenges and opportunities in South Asia, its increasing reliance on soft power, and the constraints it faces in its aspiration to reclaim the status of Vishwa Guru. The study concludes that despite changing international configurations, India's commitment to strategic autonomy remains the enduring core of its foreign policy. | ||
Keywords: Non-Alignment, Multi-Alignment, Strategic Autonomy, Indian Foreign Policy, Soft Power, Quad, India-China Relations, SCO, Congagement |