Reconstructing India’s Worldview: A Strategic Realignment

Reconstructing India’s Worldview: A Strategic Realignment offers a timely and compelling re-examination of India’s place in the world. Moving beyond conventional Eurocentric frameworks, the volume advances an India-centric perspective on diplomacy, strategy, and global leadership. Anchored in the argument that India is not merely an “emerging” power but a “re-emerging” one, the book underscores the civilizational depth and historical influence that continue to shape India’s contemporary foreign policy choices.

The volume opens with a foreword by Professor Harsh V. Pant and an introduction by Professor Chetan B. Singai, setting the stage for a rich exploration of how India sees the world, and how the world perceives India. Structured around two key themes, the book first advances indigenous frameworks, narratives, and terminologies for international engagement, before turning to questions of strategic culture and thought in a rapidly evolving global order. Chapters examine India’s maritime strategy, Indo-Pacific partnerships, cyber diplomacy, gendered foreign policy, regional security outlook, and emphasis on non-Western theories, offering diverse perspectives from leading academics and practitioners.

A unifying thread across the contributions is the 3Cs: Challenges, Change, and Choices, which capture the dilemmas India faces as it navigates shifting geopolitics, technological disruption, and new domains of power. The book argues that the decisions India makes today will define not only its own trajectory but also the contours of global order in the 21st century.

Bridging theory and practice, this book is indispensable reading for scholars, policymakers, and students of international relations. By providing a fresh India-centric lens, it not only fills a critical gap in existing literature but also lays the groundwork for reimagining India’s global engagement in an age of multipolarity.