Thinking about an Indian Grand Strategy

This article is primarily a conceptual overview on the theme of a grand strategy for a rising power such as India. The objective is to promote a systematic and structural way of thinking on grand strategy—the dynamic art of relating ends and means. The author identifies and expounds on the major domestic and international variables that will shape India’s grand strategy. Factors such as national ethos, domestic political economy, geopolitical context, nature of economic interdependence, the impact of the nuclear revolution, and the evolving structure of the international system all influence the environment in which Indian power is deployed. The author not only contextualises the impact of these variables but also offers select strategic responses to these multiple factors that will circumscribe an Indian grand strategy.