How India’s democracy shapes its global role and relations with the West

Two narratives dominate global discussions about India today: one is on the country’s rise as an increasingly prominent geopolitical and economic actor; the other centres on concerns – particularly among India’s Western partners – about democratic backsliding. This paper examines the interplay between these two narratives, and more specifically, what India’s status as the world’s largest democracy means for its global role and relations with the West.While many Western governments have long held up India’s democratic credentials as a key pillar for engagement with the country, Indian foreign policy often appears out of sync with Western democracies. New Delhi rarely employs democracy promotion as an explicit tool of its foreign policy. India is not unique among democratic states in placing pragmatism above principle in the conduct of its foreign policy. But New Delhi’s firm adherence to principles of non-interference and sovereignty means that its democracy promotion tends to be pursued more subtly, subsumed under broader development initiatives.Under the Modi government, the democracy narrative has tilted towards a greater emphasis on promoting good governance through the ‘democratization of technology’. With technology cooperation being a key area of India’s engagement with the West, digital public infrastructure (DPI) is an emerging area of collaboration in the Global South. Western governments have thrown their weight behind New Delhi as India competes with China for leadership of the Global South.The challenge is India’s domestic political trajectory. India has become less liberal over the last decade, but it has arguably become better governed. However, the illiberal turn in India’s democracy and its more muscular deployment of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) within its foreign policy may complicate a deepening relationship with the West. This will not preclude policy-focused collaboration, but it is likely to place limits on deeper cooperation in sensitive areas such as intelligence sharing. Ultimately, too, it may raise questions about India’s claims to offer a worldview that is non-Western but not explicitly anti-Western.