The global power of the future: renewal of strategic orientations of India

A.I. Nikitin

doi:10.17976/jpps/2025.01.09

The global power of the future:
renewal of strategic orientations of India

Nikitin A.I.,

Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences; Professor, MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia, an@inno.mgimo.ru

elibrary_id: 637132 | ORCID: 0000-0003-3509-6893 | RESEARCHER_ID: O-6521-2015

Article received: 2024.08.08 16:04. Accepted: 2024.11.06 16:05

DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2025.01.09
EDN: UIGPST

Rubric: Orbis terrarum

For citation:

Nikitin A.I. The global power of the future: renewal of strategic orientations of India. – Polis. Political Studies. 2025. No. 1. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2025.01.09. EDN: UIGPST (In Russ.)

Abstract

Largest by the size of population state of the planet India painfully perceives disbalance between its status in a world order and its own ambitions, Indian leadership coins slogans/goals before its government, business and society to obtain a status by the centenary of the independence of the not only “developed” rather than “developing” country, but more: the status of the leading world power with a global role. Searching the status of the world power in the same row with the Global North powers, India simultaneously somewhat contradictory pretends to a role of the leader of the Global South, activation girts role in G20, BRICS, SCO and other international alliances. Historical friendly ties of India with the USSR/Russia continue to have an impact onto the Indian strategy. India considers interaction with Moscow as a “specifically privileged strategic partnership”, continuously rejects from participation in the Western sanctions and anti-Russian statements, assists in overcoming of the sanction limitations. But in the sphere of security policy India reoriented itself towards partnership with the UYSA, values “anti-China” vector in QUAD and AUKJUS alignments. Strengthening of the pro-American policy collides India more and more with China, and endless repeating of the mantra on the “irreconcilability” of the Indian historic and strategic contradictions with China pushed India in direction of strategic alliance with the USA. Relations of India with Russia got somewhat contradictory character as a result of a clash between proponents of the preservation of strategic partnership, economic cooperation and friendship, from one side, and pro-Western Indian politicians and elites, from the other side, who perceive Russia through the prism of the Western accusations and sanctions, also considering Russia to be the ally of adversarial China. Regarding Ukrainian conflict India tries to claim and wage the policy of “neutrality”, zigzagging between the unwillingness to object to the West and unwillingness to lose special strategic relations with Moscow. In a process of globalization of its own horizon new dimensions of the Indian policy emerge: space policy, Arctic policy, ecological policy of building a unique “green” world power and other new orientations.

Keywords

world power, global power, multipolarity, Global South, India, China, BRICS, Indo-Pacific region, nuclear policy, strategic partnership.

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