The international system is in a state of serious erosion. It is not collapsing under a barrage of conflicts and contradictions but is under a set of unresolved disagreements. The current world order is perhaps one of the most unfair ever. It did not imply a balance of power. It was not based on an agreement between the great powers. It is not a system of compromise and agreement. The collapse of the Marxist-Leninist experiment led to the formation of a unilateral international system. The American-centric order turned out to be undemocratic. The system aimed to protect the interests of a narrow group of elites of the Global West. Thanks to the Americans’ colossal successes and outstanding talent, they managed to establish an unprecedented unipolar world. Their system was unique. But the period of sole and absolute hegemony turned out to be short-lived. Its ideologists themselves cleverly called it a moment. And it was in fact a moment.
The economic transformation of developing countries over the past decades has changed the strategic landscape of the world. Once the periphery of international politics and the world economy, it is confidently turning into one of the key centers of development. The economic power of Asia is already a fact. Of the five world leaders in GDP, at least three are Asian countries. The development of military technologies and the evolution of armies is the most active and systematic in Asia. The financial infrastructure, IT enterprise, and banking system are undergoing profound transformations – and Asia is the most active conductor of reforms and innovations here too. In a word, it is the countries of Asia that are the providers of global development. And it is in the Asian region that world powers are growing. Asia is quickly turning into a geopolitical and economic core of development.
It is now widely believed that the 21st century will witness the consolidation of the economic, political, and technological power of Asian states. India, one of the key Asian states, plays a special role in this process. Skillful management, an effective economy, and a large population conceal enormous potential for ensuring peace and stability in the region and the world. Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Valdai Forum, said that India should be included among the great powers since it has the highest growth rate among the world’s economies. “India should be included among the great powers. 1.5 billion people. The highest growth rate among the world’s economies. The most ancient culture and very good growth prospects,” the politician noted. For these and other reasons, the evolution of Indian democracy and its attitude to international problems are of great importance to the world community. Therefore, it is not surprising that the rise of India has increased academic interest in the study of India’s strategic behavior and its ideological sources. Despite its colossal cultural and historical role in the development of world civilization, India remains a mystery to many observers.
The main enigma is the strategic culture of this country. How will India respond to certain processes, actions, and conflicts? What are India’s strategic imperatives to the growth of China’s power? How does Delhi feel about the declining role of the global West? How does India view the decline of the US as the hegemon of the global order? How does India view the rise of Russia’s military power? There is a growing body of literature analyzing various aspects of India’s security and foreign policy decision-making processes. However, India’s strategic thinking has received only sporadic attention among scholars and commentators. This complex issue remains to be explored. The task is not easy and requires serious effort.
India has demonstrated a high level of consistency in its policies, views, and behavior despite changes in governments, ruling parties, and circumstances, a fact that points to the presence of a common strategic culture. Indian diplomacy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has demonstrated a high ability to understand the realities of the international system. Indian strategic culture and grand strategy are based on many cultural, historical, religious, and civilizational factors. It is worth listing only a few of them.
First of all, we can talk about strategic autonomy. India does not seek to be someone’s junior partner, to follow someone’s general line. This is why Delhi does not enter into military-political alliances that have a rigid hierarchy and delegation of sovereignty. The status of a world power is important to India. It seeks equality with the most powerful actors by its size, civilizational heritage, historical experience, and the realities of the post-colonial world order. Indian political nationalism, which has been systematically supported in recent years, aims to unite the nation, strengthen identity factors, and the social system of the state. A special role is given to the desire for political, social, and economic justice, especially for decolonized countries.
Some important aspects that have an impact on Indian strategic culture and the Grand Strategy can be found in ancient texts such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and how they are linked to administrative experience during Mughal rule and elite worldviews during the colonial period. The Indian tradition of strategic thought emphasises the concept of dharma — a set of rules that bound the ruler and the ruled alike. Also, Indian concepts of statecraft had strong moral and ethical undertones in contrast to the contemporary realist emphasis on aggregate power and material factors. Even more significant from the point of view of the contemporary world is the Indian concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — the idea of seeing the entire earth as one family. A related concept in Indian strategic thought is ahimsa or non-violence, which was the key element in the Indian freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and remains of crucial relevance in the pursuit of peace.
Besides, the Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar published in 2020 a book, The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, offers a vision of how the official mind in India imagines the country’s international posture. The book sheds light on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy over the last six-odd years, occasionally offering a veiled defense of his various actions. Jaishankar repeatedly and emphatically avers that Indian grand strategy in an uncertain world requires “advancing [its] national interests by identifying and exploiting opportunities created by global contradictions” so as “to extract as much gains from as many ties as possible”.
Indian strategic culture is worth studying. Only detailed, in-depth academic research accompanied by scientific expeditions can provide a better understanding of the tendencies and thoughts of the elite of this country.
