Navigating Great Power Rivalries

Amidst the ongoing cold war between Russia and the United States; this piece examines India’s foreign policy strategies. India is an important player in world geopolitics and has to walk a tightrope with these two global powers whose influence in world politics cannot be denied. It therefore focuses on cultural diplomacy, soft power initiatives, strategic autonomy, diversified defence procurement, economic partnerships and multilateral diplomacy. The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate how India maintains its sovereignty while promoting national interests using examples such as CAATSA sanctioned response by India, participation of India in multilateral forums such as Quad and BRICS, Ukraine crisis diplomacy engagement, and other case studies Africa etc. Maintaining its individuality while interacting with major powers is a delicate issue facing Indian foreign policy today.