India’s Indo-Pacific Policy: Unpacking the Underpinnings and Challenges

This article discusses the strategy India is pursuing to protect its interests within the changing dynamics of the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific hailed as a new arena for great-power politics in the twenty-first century is marked by extreme unpredictability and instability. Although China mostly drives India's Indo-Pacific policy, New Delhi has been reluctant to acknowledge this. India is sending a message that it supports the Quad ideals, engagement with China, and the importance of the ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific by participating concurrently in the ASEAN, Quad, RIC, SCO, and BRICS. The article makes the case that the concept of "hedging" is the best explanation for India's policy in the Indo-Pacific. As a result, this article examines the hedging component of India's Indo-Pacific policy as well as the driving factors of such a policy choice. Besides, the article also explores the significant constraints that can potentially limit India’s hedging policy in the Indo-Pacific.