India’s Contradictory Diplomacy: A Global Power in Name Only

India’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is marked by contradictions and opportunism. While seeking great-power status, New Delhi oscillates between alliances with the United States and Russia, relies on China economically, and pressures its smaller neighbors. This inconsistent approach undermines India’s credibility both regionally and globally.

DEHLI – India’s foreign policy in recent years has increasingly reflected a delicate, often contradictory balancing act, one that aims to position New Delhi as a global power while maintaining old alliances and managing new geopolitical realities. Yet, this approach has often exposed the limitations of India’s diplomacy, revealing inconsistencies that undermine its credibility both regionally and internationally.

At the center of this contradiction lies India’s relationship with Russia and the United States. On one hand, India calls itself a strategic partner of Washington, seeking closer defense and trade ties with the U.S. to counter China’s growing influence in Asia. On the other, it continues to maintain a deep economic and military relationship with Moscow, a legacy of the Cold War era that still defines much of India’s defense infrastructure. Despite repeated U.S. warnings and sanctions, New Delhi has remained one of the largest buyers of discounted Russian oil, effectively cushioning Moscow’s economy amid Western sanctions.

This duality has not gone unnoticed. U.S. President Donald Trump recently criticized India for its ongoing oil trade with Russia, threatening to impose massive tariffs until those imports cease, a move that has reignited tensions between the two supposed allies. Washington views India’s continued energy dealings with Moscow as a contradiction to the global effort to isolate Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Yet, New Delhi insists it acts purely in its own economic interest, seeking to protect Indian consumers.

Beyond global alliances, India’s regional diplomacy remains equally problematic. Relations with Pakistan are frozen under a climate of hostility, with backchannel talks repeatedly collapsing due to border clashes and political mistrust. Meanwhile, India’s relationship with China, its largest neighbor and fiercest rival, is defined by standoffs along the Line of Actual Control and deep economic interdependence that neither side can fully sever. Despite public rhetoric of resistance, India remains heavily reliant on Chinese imports for technology and manufacturing.

Critics argue that India’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is driven more by image-building than strategic coherence. The government frequently portrays India as a champion of the Global South while simultaneously aligning with Western-led alliances such as the Quad. This contradictory stance, oscillating between non-alignment and selective alignment, risks diluting India’s diplomatic credibility.

Moreover, India’s increasing tilt toward militarized nationalism has created friction in South Asia. Smaller neighbors such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have grown wary of what they perceive as Indian interference or dominance. As a result, China has stepped in with economic incentives, gaining influence in what was once considered India’s traditional sphere of regional leadership.

In essence, India’s foreign policy today reflects a quest for great-power status without the consistency or moral clarity that such a role demands. By trying to please every side, the West, Russia, and its neighbors, New Delhi risks being trusted by none.

Unless India reassesses its strategic priorities and establishes a coherent, principle-driven foreign policy, it may continue to appear as a power caught between ambition and indecision, one that talks like a global leader but acts like a cautious opportunist.