Friends: India’s Closest Strategic Partners by Prof. Sreeram Chaulia traces India’s foreign policy and its evolution since independence, highlighting its transformation from a balancing regional power to a leading power on the global stage. As an academician, Prof Chaulia has incorporated academic rigour in analysing India’s foriegn policy. The book is based on the premise that global multilateralism is built upon bilateral relationships and partnerships between nations. Multilateral cooperation is only as strong as the bilateral ties of its partner nations. Chaulia describes India’s strategic partnerships with seven key partners—Japan, Australia, the United States, Russia, France, Israel, and the UAE—examining how these relationships have improved India’s global position.
Moving ahead of the traditional narratives of India as a “rising power” or “great power” of Western lingo, Chaulia argues that India is actively rebranding itself as a ‘leading power’—one that seeks to lead, shape, and influence the global order which is illustrated through the metaphor of the lotus for India’s approach to global engagement. In this imagery, India sees itself as one petal of the lotus, interconnected with other petals (nations) in a shared global ecosystem. This represents India’s belief in interdependence, seeking partnership at equal terms and its rejection of zero-sum geopolitics. Rather than pursuing dominance, India seeks to foster collaboration and mutual growth, positioning itself as a bridge between the global south and the global north.
While reading the book, the reader grasps the context and geopolitical conditions of the timeline when India was joining a new partnership while simultaneously keeping up with old friends, for instance, India’s ties with the U.S.A. have evolved from Cold War-era mistrust to a strong post-1991 partnership, reinforced by the 2008 nuclear deal, despite ongoing trade and Iran-related tensions. The chapter on Russia delves into the India-Soviet ties on defence and energy, which is still going strong, though Russia’s growing alignment with China presents challenges. The India-Japan partnership has benefitted India through technology transfer for industrialisation and infrastructure development. It is also an important counterbalance to China’s influence, while its relationship with France is crucial for defence, space cooperation, and renewable energy initiatives. The Israel-India partnership thrives in defence and technology despite India’s parallel engagement with Palestine. With the UAE, economic cooperation, investments, and diaspora connections strengthen bilateral ties. These relationships underscore India’s pragmatic and flexible diplomacy, balancing strategic autonomy to establish and sustain partnerships with countries that, at times, are not seeing eye to eye with each other.
In conclusion, Friends: India’s Closest Strategic Partners is a thoroughly researched and well-written book that provides deep insights into India’s foreign policy and its deliberate efforts to cultivate strategic global partnerships. These partnerships play a crucial role in India’s aspiration to become a great power. This book offers valuable perspectives on historical patterns in Indian foreign policy that can assist in analysing and determining the future trajectory of India’s global relationships.
