India stands at a pivotal moment in its geopolitical journey, having secured what many experts describe as an enviable position in the evolving global order. Through a carefully calibrated diplomatic approach emphasizing strategic autonomy, India has built a unique capacity to engage constructively with competing power blocs while advancing its own national interests.

Recent developments—including the thaw in India-China relations, strengthened ties with Western powers, leadership in the Global South, and continued engagement with Russia despite Western pressure—have positioned India as a potential bridge between divergent geopolitical forces.

This report examines the factors that have contributed to India's current geostrategic position, evaluates whether this truly constitutes a "sweet spot," and considers the challenges that may yet undermine this advantageous positioning in an increasingly multipolar world.

India's Strategic Autonomy In A Changing World Order

India's foreign policy has long been characterized by its commitment to strategic autonomy, though this concept has evolved significantly in response to shifting geopolitical realities. Far from being a static or dogmatic principle, strategic autonomy has served as an adaptable framework allowing India to pursue its national interests while avoiding entanglement in great power conflicts.

This approach has been particularly evident in India's response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where despite pressure from Western allies, India maintained its diplomatic and economic engagement with Russia while simultaneously advocating for peace through dialogue. When criticized for importing Russian oil, India's External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar highlighted Western hypocrisy by pointing out that India's monthly oil imports from Russia were less than Europe's imports in a single afternoon. This nuanced stance reflects a sophisticated understanding of India's strategic interests rather than blind adherence to non-alignment.

The evolution of India's strategic autonomy policy demonstrates its pragmatic rather than ideological underpinnings. Following the 2020 border clashes with China, India deepened its engagement with the Quad (comprising the US, Japan, Australia, and India) while maintaining its traditional relationship with Russia. This dual-track approach has permitted India to secure defence equipment from diverse sources, increase its strategic options, and avoid becoming overly dependent on any single power bloc. Prime Minister Modi's approach of emphasising that "today's era is not for war" while engaging with Russian President Putin demonstrated India's ability to maintain dialogue with all sides while promoting its vision of a peaceful international order. This balanced approach has earned India recognition as a potential mediator in global conflicts.

The concept of strategic autonomy has also informed India's participation in multilateral forums. While strengthening ties with Western powers through frameworks like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, India has simultaneously remained active in BRICS and other non-Western groupings. This dual participation has positioned India as a bridge between developed and developing nations, enhancing its diplomatic leverage and allowing it to shape global governance structures in ways that reflect the interests of the Global South. India's successful G20 presidency in 2023 exemplified this bridging role, as it managed to secure consensus among deeply divided major powers while elevating development concerns important to the Global South.

Balancing Relationships: India Between East And West

India's unique position in the current geopolitical landscape stems from its ability to maintain productive relationships across traditional divides. American political scientist Ian Bremmer has highlighted this exceptional positioning, noting that "India is, perhaps, in the best geopolitical position among almost any major country in the world," with strong relationships with the United States, European nations, and Japan, while simultaneously serving as a natural leader of the Global South. This balancing act has allowed India to extract benefits from competing power centres without becoming subservient to any particular bloc, a remarkable achievement in an era of increasing geopolitical competition.

The relationship with the United States has deepened significantly in recent years, particularly in defence cooperation, technology partnerships, and strategic alignment on Indo-Pacific security. Yet India has accomplished this without sacrificing its longstanding ties with Russia, which continues to supply critical defence equipment and energy resources. Notably, despite increasing its oil purchases from Russia following Western sanctions, India has faced minimal backlash from Western partners who recognize India's energy security imperatives and value its broader strategic importance. This tolerance reflects India's growing importance in Western strategic calculations, particularly as a potential counterweight to China's regional ambitions.

The October 2024 meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit marked another diplomatic achievement, following the groundbreaking border disengagement agreement between the two countries. This thaw in relations with China, while still tentative, demonstrates India's ability to manage even its most challenging bilateral relationship through a combination of firmness and pragmatic engagement. Though Beijing has proven untrustworthy in the past, its economic challenges, internal fissures in the PLA, and the logistical burden of maintaining deployments along the LAC may restrain China from further provocations in the immediate term. India's resilient response to Chinese transgressions has likely contributed to Beijing's more conciliatory stance, showing that strategic autonomy can be effectively paired with determined defence of territorial integrity.

Regional Influence And Global Repositioning

India's geographic position at the crossroads of South and Southeast Asia has historically presented both strategic opportunities and challenges. In recent years, India has leveraged this position to expand its regional influence while addressing persistent security concerns. Strategic patience and pragmatism have enabled India to restore traditional relations with the Maldives, where President Muizzu had won elections on an anti-India platform.

Similarly, India's economic assistance to Sri Lanka during its financial crisis, including helping negotiate with the IMF, has strengthened bilateral ties and led to assurances that Sri Lankan territory will not be used for anti-India activities. These diplomatic successes reflect India's growing capacity to shape its regional environment in ways that advance its security interests.

Beyond its immediate neighbourhood, India has positioned itself as a key stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Modi's articulation of a rules-based Indo-Pacific order at the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue emphasized respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and consent of nations—principles that align India with like-minded democracies while avoiding direct confrontation with China. This vision has translated into practical cooperation through initiatives like the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative with Japan and Australia, maritime security partnerships, and infrastructure development projects that offer alternatives to China's Belt and Road Initiative. As China's economic model faces growing scepticism, with the BRI encountering "economic and political headwinds in most of the world," India stands to benefit from redirected investment and trade opportunities.

The changing dynamics within the Russia-China relationship may also work to India's advantage. The potential US-Russia rapprochement, while uncertain, could attenuate Russia's diplomatic and economic dependence on China, undermining the so-called "no limits partnership" between Moscow and Beijing. Russia's traditional reluctance to play a subordinate role to any power suggests that its alignment with China may prove contextual rather than enduring. Should this shift materialize, India's longstanding relationship with Russia could provide additional leverage in managing the complex triangular dynamics with China, further enhancing India's strategic position in Asia.

Challenges And Contradictions In India's Strategic Approach

Despite these apparent advantages, significant challenges remain that could undermine India's geostrategic positioning. Critics argue that beneath India's grand vision of a rules-based international order lies a "deep strategic incoherence" marked by contradictory relationships and inconsistent principles. India's continued abstention on UN resolutions condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while explicable through the lens of strategic autonomy, has sometimes placed it at odds with the very international norms it claims to uphold. This tension between principles and pragmatism could limit India's moral authority in shaping global governance structures, particularly if perceived as selective application of values.

The sustainability of India's balancing act also remains uncertain in an increasingly polarized world. While India has thus far managed to maintain relationships across competing blocs, intensifying US-China competition may eventually force more difficult choices. Defence cooperation with the United States, for instance, could be complicated by India's continued reliance on Russian military equipment, particularly if new sanctions are imposed on Russia's defence sector. Similarly, India's participation in the Quad alongside its BRICS membership creates potential contradictions that may become harder to reconcile as these groupings develop competing visions for the international order.

Domestic factors also influence India's geopolitical positioning. India's economic growth, while robust, must be sustained to support its global ambitions and provide the resources necessary for military modernization. Additionally, maintaining domestic political stability is essential for implementing consistent foreign policy.

While Prime Minister Modi's continued leadership has provided stability in India's external affairs, institutional mechanisms for policy continuity beyond individual leaders will be crucial for long-term strategic coherence. The relationship between India's democratic identity and its foreign policy choices also requires careful management, as strategic partnerships with both democratic and authoritarian regimes raise questions about the role of values in shaping India's international engagement.

Conclusion: A Conditional Sweet Spot

The evidence suggests that India does indeed occupy a geostrategic sweet spot in the emerging world order, though this positioning comes with important qualifications and challenges. India's policy of strategic autonomy has evolved into a sophisticated framework that allows it to engage productively with competing power centres while preserving its freedom of action. The combination of strengthened Western partnerships, continued Russian relations, improving ties with China, and leadership within the Global South has created unique advantages that few other major powers enjoy. As geoeconomic and geostrategic realignments accelerate, India is well-positioned to serve as a bridge between competing blocs while advancing its own development agenda.

However, maintaining this advantageous position will require continued diplomatic skill and strategic clarity. The contradictions in India's approach, while manageable at present, could become more problematic as global tensions intensify. Sustaining economic growth, addressing security challenges, and balancing values with interests will all be critical to preserving India's strategic latitude. India's vision of achieving "Vikshit Bharat" (Developed India) through multilateralism, inclusiveness, self-reliance, and the concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family) offers a constructive alternative to competing models of international order, but translating this vision into practical outcomes remains a work in progress.

In the final analysis, India's geostrategic positioning is neither accidental nor inevitable, but rather the product of deliberate policy choices that have maximized flexibility in a volatile international environment. While the challenges ahead are substantial, India's diplomatic achievements thus far suggest a capacity to navigate complexity that positions it favourably for the emerging multipolar world. The true test will be whether India can leverage this current sweet spot to secure lasting strategic advantages while contributing constructively to global stability and development.

IDN