For better or for worse, India’s rise on the global stage is undeniable. While challenges remain, India continues to be a formidable force—economically, militarily, ideologically, and culturally. Its influence stretches far beyond its borders, shaping regional and global dynamics. Having observed India’s evolution for decades, I have a perspective that traces its journey from independence to its current aspirations. This category consolidates my views on India’s transformations as it navigates the complexities of its growing power and identity in the modern world.
Sub-Categories
India's foreign policy is driven by strategic autonomy, economic interests, and regional stability, balancing global partnerships while asserting its influence on the world stage.
Mohan Malik 实事求是 @jmohanmalik · Apr 12
Attempts to revive the Quad won’t succeed in the foreseeable future because of a fundamental shift in the Trump admin’s policy: from containing China to appeasing it and from courting India to containing it.
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Apr 12
Containing India?
You are probably being too generous in implying that India is worth 'containing'. Already, its servility to the USA is all too obvious, e.g., its requests for a US waiver to buy Russian and Iranian oil.
@narendramodi
's India now reminds me of Australia, which masochistically remains saddled with the role of #USA's #DeputySheriff.
https://x.com/DwnlodingMyMind/status/2041877180821729741
#auspol
@SenatorWong
@AusHCIndia
http://RakeshAhuja.DownloadingMyMind.com
JayEnAar @GorwayGlobal · Apr 8
I would not blame Iran if it decided to move to expel India from BRICS.
Brazil Russia Iran China.
They must see, as does the rest of the thinking world, that all India brings to the table is an irrelevant and incomprehensible windbag styling himself as Vishwaguru.
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Apr 8
India, the Weak Link
I agree. As #India's conduct on the international stage in the lead-up to and during the five weeks of the #AmericanZionistAxis war on #Iran has confirmed, its geopolitical influence matches that of a sparrow's fart.
Notably, it is privately acknowledged in the corridors of diplomacy that India is the weakest link in BRICS and, for that matter, in QUAD.
#auspol
@SenatorWong
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Apr 9
Indian Follies and the Iran War
Jeffrey is so prescient; what he said 3-4 weeks ago is coming to pass. The #AmericanZionistAxis War on Iran is no longer a regional issue; it is having ramifications worldwide.
His commentary on India is demonstrably valid. Australia would be well advised to reflect on some aspects of it that apply not only to India but to it as well.
#auspol
@SenatorWong
@dfat
@AlboMP
@LeiblerMark
@jeremyleibler
@narendramodi
@BJP4India
@AIJAC_Update
Dr. Brahma Chellaney @Chellaney · Mar 25
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 25
India, the Weakest Link
Spot on. Through acts of omission or commission, #India invariably proves itself to be the weakest link in formal or informal concordats or coalitions, be it #BRICS, #QUAD, or various "strategic partnerships". #HindutvaCult policy frameworkers do not realise that the geopolitical influence of #IndianForeignPolicy is only slightly more than that of a sparrow's fart.
#auspol
@d_jaishankar
@SenatorWong
@dfat
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 25
The Indian Art of Kowtowing
Extraordinary. The Indian Foreign Minister
@DrSJaishankar
is meeting an Under Secretary from the US bureaucracy, who is the equivalent of a Joint Secretary in his own Ministry of External Affairs.
#Nehru, who, according to Frank Moraes, personally set down the protocol for receiving foreign diplomats and ministers after independence, was firm on the principle of equivalence. #NarasimhaRao martially followed the practice as FM and PM.
I am all for breaking stifling Indian protocol. It would be interesting, though, to know the background in this instance.
Perhaps the #IndianFM was moved by the flattery Colby accorded him the day before. Or perhaps
@d_jaishankar
recommended it.
#IndianForeignPolicy #IndiaUSrelations
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 24
Pakistan Goodie, India Badddie [#India_FP]
If true, yes. Much as #Pakistan did in the #Nixon World by facilitating "Operation Polo" - U.S. National Security Advisor Kissinger's secret visit to Beijing from Islamabad in July 1971. That diplomatic manoeuvre paved the way for Nixon’s historic 1972 trip to the #PRC. Pakistan was in American good books for years after that - unlike India.
@narendramodi
's India, thanks to his "close friendship' with
@netanyahu
, might be reading the same screenplay again.
#auspol #USA
@ShashiTharoor
@rishibagree
@amitmalviya
http://RakeshAhuja.DownloadingMyMind.com
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 14
Searching for an Indian Spine
Insightful summary of the most obvious steps to take to decisively counter #WarmongerUSA and #ZionistProxyIsrael. #Sachs sees a crucial role for #BRICS in developing a coalition against the two morally bankrupt states. The problem is that, as confirmed by reports from Beijing, China views India as the weak link - as does Cape Town - and, of course, recent Indian opportunistic behaviour only confirms that perception.
India, as BRICS 2026 Chair, still has the opportunity to make amends, but that will require political will, which the ruling Indian polity sadly lacks. Even flexible spines need to straighten when new circumstances demand so.
There is obviously a role on the international stage for Middle Powers to do something concrete in their own interests - reliable energy supply chains - if nothing else.
@narendramodi
@DrSJaishankar
@MEAIndia
@AusHCIndia
#auspol
http://RakeshAhuja.DownloadingMyMind.com
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 13
India, always the Weak Link
Ah!
@DrSJaishankar
, incrementally backpedalling from
@narendramodi
's effusive embrace of his "close friend"
@netanyahu
? It will be a torturous path, Comrade. I will watch with fascination as you scramble to secure India's credibility as a faithful member of BRICS - let alone its 2026 Chair.
It is now openly acknowledged by interlocutors in Beijing and Cape Town that #India is the weakest link in BRICS. See, for example,
https://x.com/SushantSin/status/2030696127499018608
@SenatorWong
@dfat
@AusHCIndia
#auspol
http://RakeshAhuja.DownloadingMyMind.com
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 12
India loses Iran
Whatever the outcome of #Iran's fight in the War for its Existence, #India will never be forgiven by Iran for its duplicitous role in support of the #ZionistState(ZS). It will no doubt rant on about unbreakable 'civilisation links' between the two, but India has effectively lost Iran for times to come.
@narendramodi
@MEAIndia
Diva Jain @DivaJain2 · Mar 9
China wins because their geopolitical calculations are clear as daylight and cold as ice. Indians talk drivel about "shatrubodh", "Mitrabodh" "dharma" "Chanakyaneeti" etc and have the intellectual clarity of bogwater in baccarat crystal.
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 9
Indian Fantasies - Geopolitical Influence
And that is why the #Geopolitical influence of #IndianForeignPolicy is no more than that of a sparrow's fart.
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Feb 25
India's Strategic Promiscuity
Good stuff, as usual, Comrade. I, too, see value in strategic promiscuity - genuine non-alignment if you will. However, whatever the current compulsions, India's silence on the Zionist #GazaShoah is unforgivable. There is a silver lining, of course; its interminable righteousness and preaching about "moral force" is in the ashes.
#IndianForeignPolicy
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jan 16
Indian Foreign Policy Unravelling
Thank you for this incisive comment. #Indospheric influence is fast shrinking.
#indianForeignPolicy
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jan 7
India's Silence on the GazaShoah
For years to come, Indians will look back with horror to the times when
@narendramodi
's #Hindutva government did not condemn his "friend"
@netanyahu
's butchery in the #GazaGenocide. Here he is undertaking to "further strengthen" the #IsraelIndia "Partnership". The leading common thread that runs through the fabric of the minds of these two neo-fascists is the visceral hate of Muslims.
Let there be no doubt about one fact: If #Israel is the architect of the #GazaHolocaust, and the #USA its enabler, #India is inextricably complicit in it.
#auspol
http://DownloadingMyMind.com
Prashant Bhushan @pbhushan1 · Jan 7
He is proud to call a genocidal maniac his friend!
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jan 7
My take:
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jan 7
India's Silence on the GazaShoah
For years to come, Indians will look back with horror to the times when
@narendramodi
's #Hindutva government did not condemn his "friend"
@netanyahu
's butchery in the #GazaGenocide. Here he is undertaking to "further strengthen" the #IsraelIndia "Partnership". The leading common thread that runs through the fabric of the minds of these two neo-fascists is the visceral hate of Muslims.
Let there be no doubt about one fact: If #Israel is the architect of the #GazaHolocaust, and the #USA its enabler, #India is inextricably complicit in it.
#auspol
http://DownloadingMyMind.com
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Nov 18
Australia India Relations
@AIinstitute
@ASPI_org
@Lisa_Singh
I would appreciate your advice, please, regarding whether there was a lecture by #Doval at #AII and whether a video of its excerpts on X is genuine. Thank you, Lisa
PS I need AII's comment for a forthcoming article on
#AustraliaIndiaRelations
#auspol
https://rakeshahuja.downloadingmymind.com/
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Oct 31
In Praise of Mr Modi
Whatever I might think of
@narendramodi
, I acknowledge that he has (rightly) not kowtowed to
@realDonaldTrump
. #Modi did the right thing by not attending the KL ASEAN summit, for he would have been forced to join other leaders in paying (false) obeisances to him.
2. A byproduct is that by each BRICS member resisting the toddler playing king, it is now acquiring an independent persona. They recognise that his fragile ego is merely a masquerade for strength.
#auspol #Trump #USA
http://DownloadingMyMind.com
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jul 30
Trump dumps India
Well, well. This is blunt enough; no wishy-washy diplomatic stuff from Foggy Bottom. The core of
@narendramodi
and
@DrSJaishankar
's foreign policy - strategic promiscuity - is now being tested. India has lost the edge in the Global South, Western Europe and Russia. China will always be a lost cause. But oh! There is
@netanyahu
's #Israel, of course, a friend who can do no wrong. Good luck, India, on the new uneven bouncy pitch.
#IndiaUSrelations #indiaEconomy #IndianTariffs
@SenatorWong
Indian Tech & Infra @IndianTechGuide · Jul 30
🚨 US President Donald Trump announces 25% tariff for India.
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jul 7
Sino-Indian/Tibetan Relations
On 4 July, in the context of the beginning of celebrations of #DalaiLama's 90th birthday, #China warned India to "choose its words carefully" about him and #Tibet. The hoisting of the Tibetan flag and singing of its Anthem is not unprecedented. However, in these uncertain geopolitical times, this occasion, including his succession, is pregnant with political symbolism. The well-publicised Indian ministerial presence adds to it.
#CCPChina will not take this lying down.
#SinoIndianRelations #IndiaTibetRelations
#DalaiLama90thBirthday
Yusuf Unjhawala 🇮🇳 @YusufDFI · Jul 6
On the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebrations in India, Tibetan national flag hoisted in the presence of union ministers of India, followed by the Tibetan and Indian national anthems.
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jul 4
India-Pakistan - A Quartet at Play
1. If so, then evidently credit must be given to Pakistan for its nimble diplomacy. On one level, it secured
@CCPchina
's cyber intelligence support; on the other, the US #RealEstateorTrump was all praise for Pakistan's #FieldMarshalMunir.
2. Trump hosted Munir for a WH lunch on June 18; it was one-on-one and, unprecedentedly, no civilian officials were present. In several statements since, he has praised Munir as “extremely influential” and “very impressive,” crediting him with de-escalating the 4-day conflict with India and being pivotal in averting a potential nuclear war.
3. Trump (“I love Pakistan”) has also enthused about forging a “mutually beneficial” trade partnership with Pakistan based on “long-term strategic convergence and shared interests,”. Singeing Indian heckles further, he has praised Pakistan for its cooperation in counter-terrorism.
4. In sum, while China’s support was a given, Pakistan has reinserted itself in America’s strategic calculations. Significantly, thanks to Trump’s harping on his role in ending the conflict and to India’s silence on the subject, the India-Pakistan hyphenation, which former PMs Rao and Vajpayee had put to bed, has been revived.
5. Pakistan's nomination of Trump for the Nobel Prize, coming in the wake of the cryptocurrency agreement signed earlier with WLF (60% stake held by the Trump family), was a wily, opportunistic move.
6. This episode has put India's foreign policy on the defensive. Perhaps, it is betting that given the neurodegenerative megalomaniac’s transactional style, which rarely foreshadows abiding policy stances, all this will pass away soon.
@narendramodi
and
@DrSJaishankar
might just be right.
@AusHCIndia
@SenatorWong
#Sino_India #India_Pakistan
News Arena India @NewsArenaIndia · Jul 4
"1 border, two adversaries; Pakistan was front face, China provided all support.
It was live lab for China to test weapons."
- Rahul Singh, Deputy Chief of Army
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Jun 24, 2025
India-Canada Rapprochement?
A gentle Canadian attempt at rapprochement with India, me thinks.
How will the #HindutvaMind respond? With the usual high horse arrogance or...
Mark Carney @MarkJCarney · Jun 24, 2025
40 years ago, Canada faced the deadliest terrorist attack in its history. Today, we mourn the 268 Canadian victims of the Air India bombing and all who have been killed in acts of terrorism — a sombre reminder of our commitment to fight violent extremism and keep Canadians safe.
Prime Minister of Canada @CanadianPM · Jun 23, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s statement on the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism:
https://ow.ly/vUbP50WeVTz
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · May 11, 2025
The India - Pakistan hyphenation is now truly back with
@DeveloperTrump
, in effect, 're-internationalising' the Kashmir dispute. Prime Ministers Rao
and Vajpayee had assiduously sought to and succeeded in 'bilateralising'
the issue.
Suhasini Haidar @suhasinih ·
As @the_hindu reported first on Friday, govt firms up multi-party delegations to travel abroad and make India's case on terrorism, previous govts have done. x.com/KirenRijiju/st…
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Apr 26, 2025
Who was the intelligent Babu, who lent her the black coat? ( I find it difficult
to believe that the black coat was part of the original ensemble with the
blue sari.)
Incidentally, America's #DeveloperTrump was the only other foreign
dignitary not to wear black. Like the Indian President, he also wore blue
which was highly disrespectful.
Rakesh Ahuja @DwnlodingMyMind · Mar 8, 2025
So what sayeth
@narendramodi
's #HindutvaCaste lobby in America (which
strongly supported @DealerTrump in 2024)?
Nick Sortor @nicksortor · Mar 7
🚨 PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Look, our country has been ripped off by everybody, and that stops NOW!”
“Canada, Mexico, the EU and even INDIA are terrible abusers of our country. But not with me in charge.”
- Explore
