What South Africa can learn from India’s pragmatic foreign policy - IOL
Kenneth Kgwadi is a Researcher at the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI).
Under the exceptional leadership of Narendra Modi, India is increasingly regarded as a non-Western power rather than an anti-Western one.
He has shown global political players that India can embrace tolerance and deepen ties with both Western and Global South nations through its multi-alignment mechanisms and independence.
India has been able in recent years to strengthen its diplomatic ties with allies and those who may look at each other as vile enemies. Earlier this year, Modi took an international trip to Israel to deepen bilateral relations. He was the first Indian prime minister to change the country’s previous political trajectory when he undertook his first visit to Israel in 2017.
Despite having been colonised by the British until 1947, when it gained independence, India has never sought to embark on a witch-hunt against Western powers. Instead, its focus has consistently been on improving the standard of living in India and advancing the interests of its people.
India’s foreign policy is rooted in pragmatism, with its priorities centred on national interests, economic growth and security, rather than ideological fiction or political fracas.
On the other hand, South Africa is paying a heavy price in its relations with Western powers, such as the US, because of inconsistencies, contradictions and perceived biases in its foreign policy trajectory.
This is something that can still be addressed by abandoning anti-Western sentiments and adopting an approach more akin to India’s, which is primarily focused on its national interests. India’s government exists first and foremost to serve its own people and to make the country a better place for them; that is what government exists for.
As we have seen in the case of India, it is possible to establish thriving relationships with both Western and Global South countries. It is not necessary to create an enemy out of one bloc because we need all of them, just as much as they need us, to improve the standard of living in our country.
Creating an enemy out of Western powers would never meaningfully contribute to a transformative developmental agenda. Instead, we risk losing important allies who can help us build a better society.
Indian foreign policy’s strategic autonomy has enabled the country to form alliances based on common issues and interests rather than ideological affiliations. India assesses what it needs and identifies those who can help it achieve or advance its national interests.
This is how developed countries and serious developing countries approach international relations in pursuit of meaningful change that can improve the fortunes and future of their people.
As chair of BRICS in 2026, India ensured that the New Delhi Declaration was successfully adopted, following the failure to reach consensus earlier this year. Despite maintaining strong relations with Western powers, India has strategic relationships with countries such as Iran, the UAE, Russia, China, South Africa and others.
Its approach reflects a confidence that BRICS can function more effectively as a platform for economic and strategic cooperation rather than as an anti-Western bloc. The New Delhi Declaration itself emphasised pragmatic economic cooperation and a closer economic partnership among BRICS members.
This is precisely the approach India has sought to maintain: it refuses to turn itself into China’s lackey or allow its foreign policy to be dictated by another power’s geopolitical ambitions. Instead, New Delhi seeks to use its relationships with different countries and groupings to advance its own national interests while maintaining strategic autonomy.
India’s ability to work simultaneously with Western powers and countries such as China and Russia demonstrates the value it places on flexibility and pragmatism in its foreign policy.
Kgwadi is a Researcher at the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI).
