Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Q4. “Strategic autonomy is increasingly about expanding choices rather than maintaining equidistance among competing powers.” Analyse the changing meaning of strategic autonomy in India’s foreign policy. (10 M)
Difficulty Level: Medium
Reference: NIE
Why the question
The evolution of India’s strategic autonomy amid multipolarity, great-power competition and India’s growing engagement with multiple strategic groupings.
Key Demand of the question
Explain why contemporary strategic autonomy means maximising independent strategic choices rather than maintaining equidistance from competing powers. Analyse how its meaning and practice have evolved in India’s foreign policy.
Structure of the Answer:
Introduction
Briefly trace strategic autonomy from its roots in non-alignment and independent decision-making to its contemporary expression through flexible, interest-based partnerships.Body
- Strategic autonomy as expanding choices: Explain how India can develop closer relations with particular powers without entering rigid alliances, thereby retaining freedom of action across competing strategic relationships.
- Changing meaning of strategic autonomy: Trace its evolution from Cold War non-alignment towards multi-engagement, issue-based partnerships and multidimensional autonomy in an increasingly multipolar international order.
Conclusion
Conclude that sustainable strategic autonomy will increasingly depend not merely on diplomatic flexibility but on India developing adequate economic, technological, military and institutional capabilities to exercise meaningful choices.
