India at the Geopolitical Crossroads

Abstract

The article refutes the widely circulated claim that India has made its geopolitical choice in favor of the USA through joining it in confront-ing China by participating in the QUAD dialogue format. While considering the factors of substantial advance in US-Indian relationship, the author points out that it was rather the geopolitical choice of the USA itself, that the Obama Administration’s “pivot” went to consolidate after quite a prolonged period of ultimately futile attempts by Washington to incorporate Beijing into its “uni-polar moment.” With China-India rivalry having definitely increased, their mechanism of regular meetings on the border problem has enabled them to put the issue outside the general context of their relationship. It facilitated the creation of possibilities for a substantial advance of relations between the two countries in trade and investment spheres, setting up the political dialogue, including at the summit level, and interaction within a number of multilateral formats. Analysis of the geopolitical concept of India’s present Foreign Minister shows, that it is based on a design to take advantage from the interest taken in obtaining India’s support by the opponents of the establishment in the Indo-Pacific region of “China’s hegemony” while avoiding “excessively antagonizing” the latter. This is confirmed by India’s care to avoid giving the QUAD the shape of a military bloc, which has been taken into account by its partners within “the four” at the current stage. Highlighted is the importance attached by India to promoting its continental geopolitical interests by enhancing its relations with Russia and participating in the SCO and the RIC, especially taking into account the disorderly withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan. The Indians attaching lately a place of importance in their Indo-Pacific doctrine to Russia has been taken note of. The article comes to a conclusion that India continues its geopolitical maneuvering, which remains an important part of the real picture of world politics with a potential to be used for the benefit of its positive evolution.