Opinion | Enough is enough. It's time for India to pursue its classic style of strategic autonomy.

The White House.

Image: Andreas H. / Pixabay

In recent years, the India - US relationship has been seen by many in the international relations community to be blossoming due to the common adversary of both countries - an increasingly imperialistic and hegemonistic China. The US sees India as a crucial geopolitical hedge against China in the Indo-Pacific region, and also sees India as a regional buffer and security bulwark should the unthinkable happen.

But today, the US is increasingly making incredibly unusual moves on the global geopolitical chessboard as tensions flare up in the two most consequential wars of the decade. And now adding to the bizarre moves, is a strong reaction to an alleged "plot by an Indian citizen associated with the Indian Government" to murder a Khalistani extremist. The US has taken the Indian citizen in question, Nikhil Gupta into custody. The US, along with its Five Eyes partners has been increasingly vocal of its criticism against India, following allegations made by the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, of a similar murder carried out in Canada.

The Five Eyes are increasingly becoming unreliable as security partners for India, due to a lack of deftness in foreign policy from its most prominent leaders, and a lack of sensitivity to the value of India as a strategic bulwark against China. The West is increasingly trying to execute neo-colonialism by taking advantage of India for its interests, and not only wants India to be closer with the West, but also be subservient and/or subordinate to its interests.

The West (read United States) that has always executed a foreign policy of keeping a "hedge" against any rising power threatening to check, or even remotely challenge its interests of retaining its sole superpower status, cannot be trusted to have a long-term relationship with mutual benefits. The US is a nation that is built on betrayal, expressions of extreme geopolitical expediency, and horrific human rights records, both abroad and at home.

India's foreign policy over the years, have been filled with many mistakes. But one of the best policies adopted, was that of non-alignment back in the '60s, which over the years, evolved into strategic autonomy. But this ambitious policy was put off the rails due to the emergence of the Chinese threat. The current geopolitical scenario, with its many volatilities, and avenues for the restructuring of the world order, offers a marvelous opportunity for India to take a leaf out of America's book and hedge against the ever-volatile and a severely trust-deficient America.

From a longer-term perspective, there is no alternative to complete self-reliance and self-sustenance capabilities. But in the shorter term, India should strongly consider seeking a rapprochement with other world powers with common strategic interests, and continue to strengthen its own global position by improving its metrics in terms of both hard and soft power.

All that has been said may be much, much easier said than done given the context of the world at the moment, but these steps are the tough pills that India as a nation must look to swallow, in order to emerge as a major power on the global stage that is able to exert its influence while maintaining a strategically autonomous global outlook.