Rising India: status and power

Abstract

Concerns over global reputation and prestige have regularly motivated India's decision-makers since 1947. From India's post-colonial quest to be treated as a sovereign and equal member of the international community of nations, to recent claims about New Delhi's technological prowess in developing an anti-satellite missile which makes it the equal of the Great Powers, the search for global recognition has consistently shaped India's foreign policy. One of the most frequently recurring rhetorical themes in statements made by Indian prime ministers, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, has been a call for India to gain its ‘rightful’ place on the global stage. However, this perception of Great Power potential among Indian elites and how this consideration has shaped Indian foreign policy over time has never been properly theorized. Many of the existing studies looking at India's desire for Great Power status have built on anecdotal evidence and have rarely offered precise and consistent conceptualizations of what ‘status’ in global hierarchies means. For example, it is not at all clear what India's ‘rightful place’ in international politics is. And India has historically striven to be accepted as a leader of the developing world, but now wants its status to be recognized by the Great Powers. How can one explain this change in status-seeking strategy?