Need for a Foreign Policy for India-

• Foreign policy is not a fixed notion because it continues to change in line with changing national and global circumstances.
• The key goal of a nation's foreign policy is national interest. With time, the secondary national interest may alter, but the main national interest lasts.
• In international community every country has to interact with other countries.
• National security is an example of primary interest. No country can compromise with her national security for the sake of most beloved principles of foreign policy.

PM Modi's pace with the world's rulers -

• PM Narendra Modi has retained a frenetic pace since the outcomes of the 2019 general election, renewing connections with world leaders. At the G-20 meeting in June, in Osaka, he was the cynosure of all eyes.
• For example- At the BRICS informal meeting, also in Osaka-- Strengthening of the World Trade Organization and for a global conference on terrorism.
• PM discussed counter-terrorism and climate change issues at separate meetings with China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

The issues and realities of South Asia for India-

• India needs to rework many of its policies in the coming five years.
• South Asia, in particular, and the region of our highest priority, needs close attention. The region is one of the most disturbed in the world and India has little or no say in any of the outcomes taking place.
• India-Pakistan relations are perhaps at their lowest point. Tarring Pakistan with the terror brush is hardly policy, and stable relations continue to be elusive.
• India has no role in Afghan affairs and is also excluded from current talks involving the Taliban, the Afghan government, Pakistan, the U.S. and even Russia and China.
• India might have recouped its position more recently in the Maldives, but its position in Nepal and Sri Lanka remains tenuous. In West Asia again, India is no longer a player to reckon with.

China, US, Eurasia Challenges-

• Smaller countries in the region are being inveigled to participate in China’s programmes such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• India and Bhutan are the only two countries in this region that have opted out of the BRI, and they seem like the odd men out
• Deepening India-U.S. relations today again carry the danger of India becoming involved in a new kind of Cold War
• Closer relations with the U.S. also carry the risk of aggravating tensions between India and China, even as China and the U.S.
• The U.S.-China-Russia conflict has another dimension which could affect India
• The strategic axis forged between the Mr. Putin’s Russia and Mr. Xi’s China will impact not only the U.S. but also India’s position in both Asia and Eurasia, with India being seen as increasingly aligned to the U.S.
• The challenge in the coming years for India is to check the slide, especially in Asia, and try and restore India to the position it held previously. India cannot afford to wait too long to rectify the situation.

Changing geopolitics now needs a change in foreign policy-

The geopolitical scenario of the world is changing, and this has brought up new global issues for India deal with. Therefore, various aspects of India’s foreign policy also are required to be changed to fit the changing geopolitics of the world.

Need to also concentrate on new threats-

• As India intensifies its search for state-of-the-art military equipment from different sources, it may be worthwhile for India to step back and reconsider some of its options.
• Military power is but one aspect of the conflicts that rage today. Experts point out that outright war, insurgencies and terror attacks are fast becoming passé.
• Nations confront many other and newer threats at present. Today, disruptive technologies have tremendous danger potential and nations that possess these technologies have the ability to become the dominant powers in the 21st and 22nd Centuries.
• A major challenge for India will hence be how to overcome our current inadequacies in the realm of disruptive technologies rather than remaining confined to the purely military domain.

Way forward-

India needs to pays greater heed to its economy.

• Notwithstanding India’s ambition to become a $5-trillion economy by 2024-25, the reality today is that the economy appears to be in a state of decline.
• New policy parameters will need to be drawn up by India, and our capabilities enhanced in areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and cyber methodology, all of which constitute critical elements of the disruptive technology matrix.
• Neither the Economic Survey nor the Budget contain useful pointers to a more robust economy, one that is capable of providing a higher rate of growth, more opportunities for skilled labour, and greater potential for investments.
• Accordingly, India's upcoming challenge over the next five years would be how to construct a powerful financial basis capable of offering the kind of energy framework required by an evolving force, as well as one with the finest liberal credentials.