India : Foreign Policy Strategy © Rohit Singh Negi

📍India’s Grand Strategy in a USA–BRICS+ ASEAN- A Multipolar World

1. Strategic Autonomy as Core Doctrine (Not Non-Alignment)

India’s primary advantage is “optionality”. In a world split between US-led alliances and BRICS-driven multipolarity, India must never become a subordinate pole. 

Strategic autonomy allows India to:

-Partner with the US on technology, defense, and Indo-Pacific security
-Lead within BRICS without being absorbed into a China-centric bloc
-Act as a swing power shaping rules, not reacting to them

India should institutionalize autonomy through issue-based coalitions, not permanent alliances.


2. Lead BRICS Politically, Balance China Strategically

-BRICS+ gives India scale, Global South legitimacy, and leverage—but also exposes it to Chinese dominance risks.

India’s strategy inside BRICS should be to:

-Push institutional pluralism (rotating leadership, decentralized financing)
-Champion India–Middle East–Africa growth corridors to dilute China’s BRI gravity
-Position itself as the norm-setting democracy of the Global South

India must ensure BRICS does not evolve into a China-Russia duopoly.


3. Use the United States for Acceleration, Not Dependence

The US remains critical for:

-Advanced defense platforms and interoperability
-Semiconductors, AI, aerospace, and deep-tech access
-Indo-Pacific maritime balance against Chinese expansion

India should pursue “deep but asymmetric cooperation”:

-Technology and intelligence sharing without treaty obligations
-Defense co-production, not arms dependency
-Supply-chain integration without political alignment

India partners with the US to “retain optionality”, not outsource sovereignty.


4. Make the Indo-Pacific & ASEAN India’s Primary Theatre

India’s decisive geopolitical space is West of Malacca, not Europe or the Atlantic.

Priorities:

-Deepen #ASEAN economic and security integration(ports, digital trade, energy)
-Position India’s North East as a gateway economy into Southeast Asia
-Use Quad selectively as a maritime stabilizer, not a Military Bloc

ASEAN is where India balances China without confrontation.

5. Exploit BRICS for De-Dollarization— Without Rupee Overreach

India should support:
-Local-currency trade
-BRICS payment rails
-Gold-backed settlement mechanisms

Avoid:
-Premature Rupee internationalization
-Currency confrontation with the US dollar

India’s goal is “currency resilience”, not monetary rebellion.

6. “Military Strategy: Deterrence, Not Imitation

India cannot and should not mirror US or Chinese power projection.

Focus areas:

-Credible two-front deterrence (China + Pakistan)
-Maritime dominance in the Indian Ocean Region
-Space, cyber, drones, and missile forces as asymmetric multipliers

India’s military strength must secure geography, not chase prestige.

7. Narrative Power: India as Civilisational Stabilizer

India’s soft power must evolve from culture to credibility:

-Democracy without evangelism
-Development without debt traps
-Security without occupation

India should project itself as the “ethical anchor” in a fractured global order—trusted by The West, respected by The Global South, and balanced against China.

Strategic Endgame (2035 Horizon)

India’s objective is “not hegemony”, but “indispensability”:

-Too important to isolate
-Too balanced to coerce
-Too integrated to bypass

In a USA–BRICS+ rivalry, India wins by not choosing sides—but by shaping separate relevance in both….with global stature & credibility. 

The #Indian_Army remains a cornerstone of India’s global stature & a vital pillar of international security partnerships. Its strategic capability, operational experience, and geopolitical positioning give India unique influence in shaping global security dynamics.

As a partner to any global alliance, India has the ability to tip the scales of the global power equation. This strategic weight enables India to play a balancing role between major blocs such as NATO, the European Union, and BRICS, strengthening stability in a multipolar world.

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© Rohit Singh Negi Reshmi Nair 
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