India was once admired globally as a moral voice and a steadfast friend in international affairs. Nelson Mandela chose New Delhi to express gratitude for support during apartheid, and world figures often saw India as a principled partner. Today, that reputation has eroded, and many observers say Hindu nationalism has placed the country on a precarious path.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s embrace of Hindutva has reshaped India’s image. His frequent, almost theatrical hugs with foreign leaders once symbolized confidence, but now ring hollow. Unlike past leaders—such as Indira Gandhi, who intervened to try to save Z.A. Bhutto’s life without seeking political advantage—Modi has tied himself closely to figures like Donald Trump, even appearing to endorse him politically.
Modi’s foreign policy has left India struggling with strained ties across the neighbourhood. Relations with Pakistan, which nearly reached a resolution on Kashmir under Manmohan Singh and Pervez Musharraf, collapsed after 2019’s Ladakh border moves angered China. Peace had seemed possible even after the Mumbai attacks, but that opportunity was lost. Xi Jinping himself told Modi that prosperity required stability with China and Pakistan—a vision Modi has ignored.
The consequences are clear: the Galwan clashes ended hopes of rapprochement with Beijing, while ties with Pakistan remain frozen. Meanwhile, Hindu nationalism’s contradictory approach in the Middle East—courting both Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Gulf monarchies—has grown untenable after regional realignments. India now finds itself increasingly isolated, its Operation Sindoor under a cloud of uncertainty.
At home, Modi continues to lean on the Hindutva script, targeting Muslims and Christians and framing Pakistan as a perpetual enemy. Abroad, the result is humiliation: Trump, once hailed as a “friend,” marked Modi’s birthday by imposing punishing visa fees on Indian IT professionals, a move seen as an insult to the very leader who once championed him.
Where India once projected moral authority, today it is saddled with the image of a divided, inward-looking state, defined less by its historic role as a global moral compass and more by the weight of Hindu nationalism. As The Beatles once sang: “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.” For India, yesterday’s respect feels increasingly distant.