India's New Resolve: Civilisational Foreign Policy to Dominate 2026

• The "rupture" of 2025 validates India's need for strategic autonomy, rooted in civilisational self-confidence, rejecting dependency-driven diplomacy.
• Modi government's foreign policy is assertive, transactional, and interest-driven, engaging global powers without subordination or apology, unlike Nehruvian non-alignment.
• Decisive response to Pakistan in 2025 demonstrated a "red line doctrine" focused on deterrence, while relations with China are seen as a long-term civilisational rivalry.
• India views the US as a partner, not a patron, emphasizing Atmanirbhar Bharat for economic strength and diversifying ties with Europe and the Global South.
• For 2026, India aims for strategic consolidation, rejecting past hesitations and asserting its civilisational identity and national interests on the global stage.

Why It Matters: India embraces assertive, interest-driven foreign policy, shedding past hesitations for 2026.