P. K. Balachandran
Within the space of a year, India has had to relinquish its bid to exercise strategic autonomy based on its own power and influence and become a junior partner in a US-led alliance. This is a far cry from the era of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, when India was nonaligned and yet had a significant moral/political influence in the world. It condemned unlawful actions by the big powers, especially the Western powers, and led peace efforts in various theatres of conflict.
It was able to secure the cooperation of the Soviets as well as the US and the West for its economic development. India’s non-alignment was touted as a path to peace. This is in sharp contrast to the way that India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been touting its policy of “strategic autonomy”. It smacks of the arrogance of a parvenu, which has triggered the animosity of the established powers and apprehensions among small powers, especially the neighbours.
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