In his 2025 article in the Studies in Indian Politics (Vol 12, No. 1) “The Domestic-International Nexus in Indian Foreign Policymaking,” Nicolas Blarel offers a fresh perspective on how India’s foreign policy is made. He argues that it is no longer shaped only by a group of elite diplomats behind closed doors. Instead, a growing range of domestic actors including politicians, government officials, ideological groups, and regional leaders play an important role. Blarel points to India’s 2023 G20 presidency and the 2024 general elections as examples showing that domestic politics and foreign policy are becoming closely linked. He explains that the line between these two areas is not only blurred but is also used strategically for political purposes.
As the domain of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian foreign policy is now increasingly shaped by multiple actors, which include regional governments and political parties, think tanks, and even public sentiments. Blarel notes how episodes like the politicisation of Katchateevu Island and the Pulwama attack demonstrate the power of foreign policy being instrumentalised for electoral gains.
The article focuses on four main factors influencing foreign policymaking: institutions and bureaucracies, public opinion, ideological and partisan dynamics, and regional and state-level interests. Under the BJP, Hindu nationalist ideology has infused Indian foreign policy with civilisational rhetoric. Simultaneously, regional governments such as those in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have used their bilateral ties with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to assert influence over national policy.
Importantly, Blarel calls for a synthesis of these points to better understand how foreign policy becomes a site of domestic contestation. The recent return of a coalition party after the 2024 election, he notes, may again elevate regional voices in shaping international positions, reviving a model seen during India’s previous coalition era (1989–2014). Presently, Operation Sindoor garnered widespread reaction on the domestic front, illustrating how foreign policy issues become deeply intertwined with domestic politics.
Blarel’s work is not just a rethinking of Indian foreign policy but also a challenge to the West-centric assumptions of traditional foreign policy analysis. He calls for viewing India’s policymaking through a lens that understands its federal structure, political pluralism, and ideological diversity, allowing for more nuanced and globally relevant theories of how democracies act on the world stage.
