Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

India’s multilateral approach reflects a sophisticated balancing act rooted in two guiding pillars: moral leadership and strategic pragmatism. While moral leadership drives India’s advocacy for a just, equitable, and multipolar world order, strategic pragmatism ensures the safeguarding of national interests in security, economy, and energy. This duality is clearly visible in India’s engagement with non-Western groupings such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS.

Body:

Duality in India’s Multilateralism: Moral Leadership and Strategic Pragmatism

India’s Role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

A. Moral Leadership

• Zero Tolerance for Terrorism: India consistently champions the principle of zero tolerance for terrorism within SCO deliberations, resisting attempts to dilute its universal condemnation, especially by Pakistan or China.
• ‘SECURE’ Framework: Through its presidency, India expanded the SCO’s focus beyond security to include development, environmental protection, and respect for sovereignty.
• Civilisational Outreach: Initiatives such as the SCO Shared Buddhist Heritage and designating Varanasi as the first SCO Cultural and Tourist Capital reflect India’s soft power and cultural diplomacy.

B. Strategic Pragmatism

• Balancing Power Dynamics: India’s participation prevents SCO from becoming dominated by the China–Pakistan axis, ensuring its voice in regional security matters.
• Counter-Terror Cooperation: Engagement with the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) helps India enhance intelligence and security collaboration with Russia and Central Asia.
• Connectivity and Energy Security: The SCO serves as a platform for advancing the Connect Central Asia policy and securing stable energy routes.

India’s Role in BRICS

A. Moral Leadership

• Voice of the Global South: India advocates for inclusive growth, equitable climate finance, and fair technology transfer.
• Reform of Global Governance: India champions democratization of global institutions like the UNSC, IMF, and World Bank to better reflect emerging power realities.
• Promoting Developmental Models: India advances its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) such as UPI and Aadhaar as global public goods promoting inclusive development.

B. Strategic Pragmatism

• New Development Bank (NDB): India’s role in establishing the NDB reflects a pragmatic step toward securing flexible, non-Western sources of infrastructure finance.
• Strategic Autonomy: BRICS strengthens India’s multi-alignment strategy by balancing its Western partnerships (like Quad) with cooperation among non-Western powers.
• Economic Resilience: Advocacy for local currency trade and financial mechanisms like the Contingent Reserve Arrangement helps reduce vulnerability to dollar dependency and sanctions.

Conclusion

India’s engagement in platforms like SCO and BRICS illustrates its dual-track diplomacy: combining moral conviction with realpolitik. It uses the legitimacy of its democratic ethos and Global South leadership to push for institutional reform, while pragmatically advancing economic and security goals. Far from being contradictory, this duality embodies the essence of India’s strategic autonomy: a mature, adaptive response to an increasingly fragmented and multipolar global order.