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The Vivekananda International Foundation organized a closed-door roundtable on ‘Managing India’s Relations with the Four Major Powers in an Unpredictable World’ on 3rd February 2020. The meeting was attended by many retired senior diplomats and military officials. The Round table raised many pragmatic insights and concerns regarding India’s external engagement with the four major powers, i.e., the United States, China, Russia and Japan. European powers such as France, Germany, Gulf countries, African Union, ASEAN have a strategic bearing on India, but the relations with the four major powers have a larger disproportionate impact. Relations with them help drive India’s economy, trade, defense capabilities, diplomacy with other countries/ regions, neighborhood, old and new multilateral initiatives, innovation capacities and security of the larger Indian Ocean itself.

The meeting highlighted that while Strategic Autonomy remains relevant; India shouldn’t fall into the equidistance trap. Further, India cannot be unmindful of the impact its internal developments have on its external relations. The contradictions between expanding India’s market to expedite its growth rates, and the politico-social welfarism to protect the poorest will have to be managed. Also, the reticence towards building hard power needs to be done away with. India will need to build up both its economy and the military; there really is no other way to safely mitigate the foreboding international uncertainty and troubles in global economy.