Uneasy Contradictions Continue in India’s Strategic Engagements

By Dr Rajeswari Rajagopalan

We’re pleased to announce the release of our latest analysis brief by Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Distinguished Fellow and Head of the Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative at Observer Research Foundation.

Uneasy Contradictions Continue in India’s Strategic Engagements discusses how recent Chinese behaviour including its aggression along the Line of Actual Control has made it difficult for India to continue carving out a middle way in its strategic policy to balance its interests between the US and China. 

India has been attempting to find new ways to continue pursuing the middle path in its strategic engagements. On the one hand, there is a greater recognition of the challenge from China and hence, a greater willingness to partner with other like-minded countries.

On the other hand, New Delhi has also been seeking more options to find a middle ground to balance its engagement between China and others. Such efforts have caused a greater emphasis than before on multilateral groupings such as Russia-India-China (RIC), Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) and especially, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

This Perth USAsia Centre analysis brief examines the difficulties India faces in finding the middle ground.