In recent years, India has set an example of leadership driven by its values-based approach and global cooperation predicated on a human-centric vision of peace and progress for all. This stands as an antithesis to a world increasingly wracked by ideological confrontation, military coercion and economic exclusivity. Every aspect of human progress has been challenged by the imperatives of post-Covid-19 economic recovery, the US-China geopolitical rivalry, the war in Ukraine and now, the upheaval in West Asia. Linked to these international buffeting currents are core concerns of food and energy security, adequate finance for just and equitable green transition, and the inability of the existing multilateral order led by the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions to deliver effectively on the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
A nation does not become a great power simply on the back of unstoppable military might or brimming economic coffers. Even a combination of the two is inadequate, as the top two global powers, the US and China, have realised in the minefield of multi-alignment and issue-based fealty. Growing multipolarity is here to stay as evident in the “strategic autonomy” of many countries, whether France and Germany on their China policy vis-à-vis the US, Turkey in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato), and India in the Indo-Pacific.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is no longer a bystander in global politics. It is actively shaping outcomes, based on its national interests and the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). The resurgence in indigenous strategic culture, combined with far-reaching global initiatives, has enabled India to be a true representative of the Global South.
India’s presidency of the G20 this year was a huge success precisely because of its convening power. It was Modi’s policy of “leaving none behind” in terms of global outreach that enabled India to successfully forge consensus on the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. The inclusion of the African Union as the G20’s newest member reflects the special place given to Africa in India’s foreign policy in recent years.
India’s soft power, the convictions that embody its values of peace and non-violence, and its strategic autonomy are not new features but it is only now that these have truly come together. India’s attempts to play a greater global role during the Korean War came at the cost of an early dialogue on bilateral differences with China during the negotiations that led to the Panchsheel Agreement in 1954. The non-aligned badge that India wore with great pride for decades did not prevent it from seeking military assistance from the US in 1962 and concluding a strategic treaty with the Soviet Union in 1971 as a balancing act in the face of military coercion.
Today, India’s role on the global stage has grown exponentially. Modi’s government has been better able to leverage India’s unique attributes, including demographic advantage and economic growth potential. The government has been visionary and astute in coalescing the many moving parts that account for India’s strengths in an uncertain world.
Under India’s presidency, the G20 emerged even more as the dream team. Its focus was reset to the primary mandate of dealing with financial and economic issues. Geopolitical issues and multiple contradictions between groups as disparate as the United Nations Security Council P-5, G7, Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) and Quad, all part of the G20, were held at bay. Macro-economic stability, financial distress, digital public infrastructure, SDGs, climate challenge, green transition and reforms of multilateral structures were pointedly addressed.
In many of these areas, the Modi government had emphatically demonstrated India’s leadership of the Global South well before the G20 presidency. Among these are India’s vaccine assistance programme during the pandemic and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) aimed at ramping up green energy. Likewise, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) are standing expressions of India’s G20 motto of “One Earth, One World, One Future”. The Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) – an idea propounded by Modi at the First Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in 2018, is a symbol of India’s firm commitment to tackling climate change and linking the entire world to the boundless clean energy of the Sun is akin to the Vedanta philosophy of aligning the individual soul (atman) with the Godhead (brahman).
Modi’s idea of LiFE (Lifestyles for Sustainable Development), as other outcomes of the Delhi Declaration, can be traced to his earlier initiatives. An early portent of recognition was the Champions of the Earth Award for Policy Leadership by the UN Secretary-General to Modi in 2018. Modi’s initiative for a plastic-free India and his support for clean oceans have resonated through several G20 conclaves in recent years, including the “Chennai High-Level Principles for a Sustainable and Resilient Blue/Ocean-based Economy”. India’s imprimatur was also evident in the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) that emerged at the Delhi G20 Summit.
Today, India is undoubtedly a voice for the Global South. However, it does not seek global hegemony. It conjures up the image of a trusted friend and partner. In a world driven by binary choices, India offers human-centric approaches to address the biggest challenges of the day, founded on its age-old values of democracy and inclusivity.
Sujan Chinoy is Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi and the Think20 Chair of India’s G20 Presidency. The views expressed are personal
