Global Responsibilities :

India’s Approach

Abstract

This article offers an examination of international developments central to globalisation in India and reviews India’s approach to some prominent multilateral treaty systems such as the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the international climate change regime, and the nuclear non-proliferation and test-ban regimes. It argues that, to be a responsible and true global player, India needs to move beyond its membership of narrowly based power caucuses within these regimes to constructively address the greater challenges that these treaties are focused on. Thus, India’s engagement with the multilateral system needs to be one that serves the interests of the system rather than the national interests of India alone. Through a historical overview of India’s multilateralism, the article probes India’s variable contemporary performance in four substantive fields of foreign policy to assess India’s multilateral stance during the postCold War period. It evaluates India’s diplomatic approach to global challenges like climate change and the wider multilateral system to reiterate the need for India to engage further in multilateral diplomacy and address global challenges, going beyond narrow conceptions of the nation’s bilateral partnerships. India’s aspiration to be a great power will only materialise if it is prepared to balance its political and economic obligations, both nationally and internationally.