India's Diplomatic Code: Partners, Not Allies, for Strategic Autonomy

• India uses precise diplomatic labels like "strategic partner" to signal expectations and limits in its foreign policy, deliberately avoiding treaty-bound military alliances.
• India's foreign policy evolved from Non-Alignment to "Strategic Autonomy," enabling cooperation with multiple powers without surrendering decision-making independence.
• "Strategic partnerships" are declarative instruments for India, indicating political trust and broader cooperation without automatic military support or binding obligations.
• India employs various partnership labels, including "Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships," to denote deepening engagement across multiple domains without forming alliances.
• Examples include India's "Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership" with the US and "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" with Russia, reflecting its non-alliance approach.

Why It Matters: Understanding India's diplomatic terms clarifies its strategic autonomy in global affairs.