A Quiet but decisive shift in Indian foreign policy

News: The article discusses the change Indian foreign policy has experienced from non-alignment to issue based alignment.

Facts:

Implying a significant shift in foreign policy, foreign secretary during the 2019 Raisina Dialogue remarked that “India has moved on from its non-aligned past and today is an aligned state but based on issues, for example signing of LEMOA with US on defence.
India’s role in the G-20 and the Indo-Pacific would signal the changing priorities of the Indian foreign policy establishment.
India aspires to be a leading power, rather than just a balancing power and as a consequence, it is willing “to shoulder greater global responsibilities”.
As a result, India’s hyper-energetic diplomacy places an emphasis on the nation’s soft power attributes from yoga and spiritualism to the diaspora.
The government is redefining ‘strategic autonomy’ as an objective that is attainable through strengthened partnerships rather than the avoidance of partnerships.
Today India’s engagement with the “Quad”, enhances its strategic autonomy vis-à-vis China and its engagement with Russia and China for a trilateral, enhances its strategic autonomy vis-à-vis US.
India is charting new foreign policy, based on the belief that rather than proclaiming non-alignment as an end in itself, India needs deeper engagement with its friends and partners to develop leverage in its dealings with its competitors.