India’s Foreign Policy and the Quest for Global Leadership: Reflections on Ambition and Accomplishments

This article describes the transition from India’s idealist foreign policy under Nehru (the Nehruvian era) to its present-day pragmatism. We contend that this shift stems from India’s global leadership claim, caught between lofty normative goals and material constraints. India’s foreign policy reflects an interplay between global systemic pressures and domestic preferences, shaped by postcolonial anxieties and a distinct civilizational identity. New Delhi’s diplomacy has moved from moral non-alignment to post–Cold War strategic multi-alignment, economic liberalization, and nuclear assertion. The article examines India’s participation in multilateral forums of global governance (UN, WTO, BRICS, G20), where it promotes a fair and egalitarian global order through developmental diplomacy. It also highlights the distinctiveness of the Modi government’s strategy, which deploys civilizational soft power and symbolism to integrate cultural heritage with strategic considerations. Several Structural constraints continue to limit India’s influence. India’s rise reflects a complex interaction of power, principles, history, and modernity.