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Op-Ed JANUARY 16, 2026 | The Indian Eye 12

INDIAN INTEREST

Power, Prudence and the Art of

Balancing the World in 2026

As global fault lines harden and old certainties crumble, India enters 2026 walking a diplomatic tightrope—

protecting national interest while insisting on a seat at every consequential table.

more delicate challenge. Political flux,
domestic pressures and external influ-
ence—particularly from China—have
made the relationship more complex
than before. India’s task in 2026 will
be to support stability without ap-
pearing overbearing, and engagement
without interference. Connectivity,
trade and people-to-people ties will
be the levers. New Delhi knows that
neighborhood diplomacy is not about
dominance, but reassurance. Lose the
neighborhood, and global ambitions
SHOBHAN SAXENA
ring hollow.
All these strands converge in
f 2025 was about India consolidat- one defining moment: India’s host-
ing its global standing, 2026 will be ing of the BRICS summit in 2026.
Iabout testing it. The world India This will be more than a ceremonial
faces is harsher, more transaction- gathering. It will be a test of India’s
al and less sentimental than before. ability to lead a fractured, expand-
Trade wars are back, geopolitics has ing and often contradictory group-
turned blunt, and multilateralism is India’s broader role in world affairs in 2026 will rest on one principle: strategic autonomy with ing. With new members, divergent
under strain. For New Delhi, the chal- interests and geopolitical tensions
lenge is not merely to respond—but strategic responsibility (ANI file photo) among partners, BRICS risks be-
to shape outcomes without surrender- coming incoherent. India’s challenge
ing autonomy. Indian foreign policy in If the US relationship is about gage Russia openly, unapologetical- will be to inject focus—on develop-
2026 will be judged on one question: managing friction, China will be ly and pragmatically. Cheap energy, ment finance, supply chains, digital
can India protect its interests without about managing opportunity without military supplies and geopolitical public infrastructure and reform of
shrinking its ambitions? illusion. A slow thaw in ties—driven coordination make the relationship global institutions—without turning
The United States will be the by economic pragmatism and border indispensable. In 2026, India will also BRICS into an anti-West platform.
first and most immediate test. A stabilisation—offers space for en- quietly position itself as one of the few New Delhi will push continuity over
Trump-driven trade war—louder, less gagement. Trade is already deep, sup- credible bridges between Russia and confrontation, reform over rhetoric.
predictable and unapologetically pro- ply chains remain intertwined, and the rest of the world. This is not medi- India’s broader role in world af-
tectionist—forces India to rethink its neither side benefits from permanent ation in a formal sense—but strategic fairs in 2026 will rest on one princi-
economic diplomacy with Washington. hostility. But improvement does not relevance by default. India gains pre- ple: strategic autonomy with strategic
The old comfort of strategic align- mean trust. India will engage Chi- cisely because it talks to everyone. responsibility. India will resist camps,
ment cannot mask hard trade realities. na economically and diplomatically, Closer home, however, diploma- refuse binaries and reject pressure
Tariffs, market access, immigration while maintaining military vigilance cy becomes messier. Pakistan remains to choose sides. But it will also step
restrictions and technology controls and diversifying supply chains. The a permanent challenge, even when it up—on climate finance, Global South
will dominate the agenda. India will message to Beijing in 2026 will be cal- fades from headlines. The absence of advocacy, technology governance
push back where it must—on steel, ibrated: cooperation where possible, dialogue does not mean the absence and conflict de-escalation. This is the
pharmaceuticals, digital trade—while deterrence where necessary. India of risk. Terror infrastructure, politi- evolution of Indian diplomacy: from
avoiding a full-blown confrontation will not return to the old comfort of cal instability and economic collapse cautious non-alignment to confident
that could hurt exports and investor dependence—but nor will it embrace across the border continue to demand multi-alignment.
sentiment. The relationship will re- permanent confrontation. vigilance. India’s approach will remain The real test will be domestic co-
main strategically vital, but emotion- With Russia, the story is striking- firm: no talks under the shadow of ter- herence. Foreign policy in 2026 cannot
ally colder. New Delhi’s task will be to ly different. Relations are arguably at ror, no internationalization of bilater- be detached from economic strength,
decouple geopolitics from economics: their strongest in decades, grounded al issues, and zero tolerance for prov- political stability and social confi-
cooperating with the US on defence, in energy security, defence cooper- ocations. Pakistan will test India not dence at home. Diplomacy works best
Indo-Pacific security and technology, ation and strategic understanding. through grand gestures, but through when backed by credibility. India’s
while firmly ring-fencing its economic Even as the West remains wary of persistent low-grade disruption. voice is heard today not because it
interests. Moscow, India will continue to en- Bangladesh presents a different, shouts—but because it delivers.

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