Modi’s performance on a global stage signals a pragmatic internationalism.
Taking advantage of the unique international stage offered by the BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun to put his own stamp on India’s foreign policy. The PM has matched his imaginative first diplomatic steps towards the subcontinent by outlining a practical approach to global issues and India’s important bilateral ties with Russia and China at the BRICS summit. Despite being the new kid on the diplomatic block, Modi has articulated India’s concerns and interests without falling into the familiar ideological traps that Delhi used to set for itself. At the BRICS forum, Modi avoided the sterile North-South rhetoric that used to colour India’s past approach to multilateral issues. He appears to have struck a new balance between the imperative of reforming the current international system for more effective global governance and the need to protect India’s national interests in a complex world.
On a range of controversial global issues, including climate change, green growth, global trade and cyber security, Modi took forward-leaning positions that are in tune with India’s interests. He also underlined India’s case for “zero-tolerance” against international terrorism, including the state-sponsored variety. While refusing to tail Russia and China on various international issues, Modi reaffirmed the new government’s desire for a deeper strategic partnership with Moscow in his bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin and outlined a purposeful approach to developing relations with China in his conversation with President Xi Jinping on the margins of the BRICS forum. While calling for expansive economic cooperation with China, he insisted on the urgency of resolving the boundary dispute that had been put on the back burner in recent years. Taken together, for now, Modi’s debut on the world stage would appear to put India squarely on the path of pragmatic internationalism.
