ISAS Special Reports

India today is far more engaged in diplomacy than ever before. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is actively building relations with other states to harness their mutual commercial and cultural strengths. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in a landslide victory in May 2014 under the leadership of Modi. Both Indian and foreign observers of Indian foreign policy had a limited understanding of Modi and the ‘BJP approach’ with regard to India’s external engagements in May 2014. Prime Minister Modi’s outlook on global affairs retains the main thrust of India’s approach to the world, yet there is a nuanced aim of linking India’s foreign policy to domestic transformation under his leadership. While, his policies are designed to attract foreign capital and technology, and seek foreign markets for Indian products, they are also geared towards a closer linkage of regional stability, peace and prosperity. Although, he comes under criticism from some quarters for his frequent foreign trips, most agree that Modi has pursued India’s foreign policy with exceptional dynamism. At times he seems to pursue continuity, while at other times he demonstrates a marked change in policy. This raises some general questions. Is there an emergence of a ‘Modi Doctrine’ in India’s foreign policy? Is there an evolution of new paradigms in India’s external engagements? These issues were discussed at an ISAS panel discussion in Singapore on 20 October 2016.