AN INSIGHT INTO HOW INDIA PIERCED THROUGH THE TURBULANT GEOPOLITICAL STORMS OF 2025

How Amidst Global Turbulance INDIA keeps its foreign policy airborne - balanced, focused, and homebound

"The truest form of leadership isn't the one that pioneers when the waters are calm, but the one that spearheads when the oceans rage"  - The Optimistic Journalist

The 22nd day from April of 2025

While leaves over the branches of trees danced together slowly and elegantly, under a pleasant breeze as sunrays peeked shyly from above of the clouds, the gods were smiling over a beautiful valley.... What could have been an ideal location for a perfect honeymoon called Pahalgam of J&K was stormed by terrorists armed with high-end rifles as they killed male tourists present over there and left the ladies crying not just the tears of water but tears of blood instead....

Everyone of us have seen the picture of a newlywed lady sitting next to a dead man and mourning his death.

While everybody on that location could hear the sounds of the bullets fired, it was the Pakistani COWARDICE that echoed in reality.

Pakistan, A rogue nation that takes great pride in killing the unarmed innocents, ends up shivering with fear each time it is faced with The Indian Armed Forces.

While THE PAKISTANI COWARDICE of PAHALGAM did make their Army General's chest swell with pride, The Indian Security Forces punctured the Trademark Pakistani Nuclear Blackmail.

Pakistan always blackmails the world with its "Tactical" Nuclear Weapons, but with Operation Sindoor, It was India that made Pakistan run short of its Tactics. Operation Sindoor by Indian Security Personnel answered the Traditional Pakistani Cowardice with Great Valor and far Greater Ferocity.

Following the press briefing after Operation Sindoor, It was the Indian Foreign Policy that swung into action and stripped Pakistan of all its propaganda tactics.

India's All-Party Delegation went to various countries in the world including THE USA, Colombia, Turkey, Egypt, Etheopia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc and exposed Pakistani Government's sponsorship, encouragement and abetment of Terrorism.

Dear Readers, while every word of what I mentioned above is known to everyone, described below is how India's foreign policy sailed its way through the troubled times of Geopolitical Storms....

While France could not share the source code of its Rafale Fighter Jets with India, it did not sabotage Operation Sindoor either.

INDIA – USA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN THE AFTERMATH OF OPERATION SINDOOR

The US State Department praised India for agreeing to a ceasefire proposed by the Pakistani Government after Pakistan faced heavy destruction of its defence facilities.

Many Defence experts in The USA lauded Operation Sindoor and congratulated the Indian Defence Forces for a decisive victory over Pakistan. Military Analysts from many parts of the world opine that India destroyed Pakistani Air Defence Systems, leaving Pakistan with almost NIL Air Defence at all.  

An all-party Indian delegation led by Mr Shashi Tharoor met with Senator Van Hollen, Booker, and Deputy Secretary of State Landau. US officials affirmed the US support for India in its counter‑terrorism measures.

Considering the never-ending sponsorship of Cross-Border Terrorism by Pakistani Army-ISI-Political Machinery, The US Government has also offered India with proposals of F-35 Fighter Jets and several other prominent Defence Systems. The US Support for India is being perceived as part of a strategic alliance in India's Counter-Terrorism Measures.

INDIA – US BILATERAL TRADE TIES

• The U.S. has expressed that it is actively considering reduction in tariffs on Indian goods to below 20%. Experts believe that this would provide India with more favorable terms and help India realize its potential to a greater extent.

• India has proposed Zero-for-zero tariffs for prominent sectors including Indian Manufacturing sectors such as textiles, leather, auto parts, chemicals, gems & jewellery, electronics

• The USA and India have also set a target to take bilateral trade to USD 500 Billion by 2030.

• India and The USA Continue to collaborate in the arena of semiconductors, quantum tech, and defense innovation.

 The India–France Alliance

The French Support for India's Operation Sindoor

France officially backed India’s Operation Sindoor, and India’s right to self-defence.

A high-level French Senate delegation to India declared full solidarity with India’s anti-terrorism stance as part of the India-France Alliance. India's EAM held a joint call with France’s FM to discuss “zero tolerance” for terrorism and expressed appreciation for French support followed by a visit to Europe in June, including Paris, to deepen strategic, defense, and economic ties.

On the front of Defense & Security Cooperation, India & France Continued their defense engagement in the form of Varuna naval exercise, Scorpene submarine collaboration, missile and engine development.

Undeterred by the Pakistani Media’s disinformation campaign against India-France Diplomatic Ties, together, the two allies continue to exhibit a shared commitment to ramp up counter-terrorism efforts, intelligence sharing.

Israel – India Ties amidst the reign of Terror

While Israel and India both share a history of genocides and invasions, respectively, the two civilizations continue to suffer from terror attacks even today. In the light of the Pahalgam Terror Attacks, Israel minced no words in articulating its support for India’s Operation Sindoor, thereby sending a clear message against terrorism.

As part of their Defense Collaboration, Israel and India both acknowledged that Israeli systems helped India achieve operational success. Both sides also expressed firm commitment towards the joint efforts against terrorism as they collaborate in missile defence and drone technology

As an indication of strategic support, India distanced itself from the SCO condemnation of Israel, avoiding public criticism of Israeli strikes.

The relationship between Israel and India in the light of the recent events shows signs of further strengthening

With The India–Israel Free Trade Agreement, also under negotiation, experts anticipate growth in bilateral trade between India & Israel post-Sindoor in tech, agriculture, water, and infrastructure sectors.

Israel – China Ties Post - Operation Sindoor

While China did not support India’s Operation Sindoor, it aligned with other members in condemning Israeli strikes.

In terms of Military and Strategic Engagement, China’s focus remained on Iran and broader global diplomacy.

3. On the front of Trade & Investment, China's Trade relations remained modest compared to China’s larger partnerships elsewhere.

All of the above act as evidence of China's inclination towards Iran compared to Israel.

India – Iran Post–Operation Sindoor

During the Iran–Israel Conflict, India urged both sides to exercise restraint

Iran had also urged against further escalation of the conflict between India and Pakistan.

On May 8, India’s EAM Jaishankar briefed Iran's FM Araqchi on Operation Sindhu, clarifying India’s precise military objective. The strategic dialogue between India and Iran continued at the ministerial level with the 20th Joint Commission Meeting as an evidence.

Amidst the war-like situation between Iran & Israel, the former gave a safe passage to the Indian Citizens stranded in its territory to facilitate their evacuation to safety.

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China – Iran Relations Post–Operation SINDOOR

Economic & Energy Collaboration

China continued its trade and energy ties with Iran and was unaffected by both the India-Pakistan Conflict and the Israel-Iran Conflict.

Although China did call for de-escalation in the Middle East, it also supported Iran’s nuclear diplomacy.

INDIA-UK TIES AFTER PAHALGAM TERROR ATTACK

INDIA – UK FTA signed May 6: Eliminated tariffs on 90% of UK exports; includes quotas and tariff cuts on whisky, automotive, etc .

🇷🇺 Russia – India (May–July 2025)

1. High-Level Engagement & Endorsement

2. Russia minced no words in articulating its solidarity with India’s counterterrorism efforts in the aftermath of Pahalgam Terror Attacks.

3. While India is on its way to induct INS Tushil, India’s Ally Russia has offered SUKHOI MKI- 35 Fighter Jets to India along with Oreshnik Missiles, S-500 Air Defence Shield.

4. The Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin has accepted Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi’s invitation and is expected to visit India this year.

2. Energy & Trade Strengthening

• India continues as a prominent importer of crude Oil from Russia driven by regional tensions in West Asia signalling that the bilateral relations remain strong and unaffected in a world grappling with geopolitical tensions.

• The Chennai–Vladivostok maritime corridor is now operational, trimming transit time between eastern Russia and India

4. Geopolitical Diplomacy

• Russia reaffirmed solidarity with India’s counterterrorism efforts during a delegation visit amid Sindoor

• FM Lavrov signaled interest in reviving the Russia–India–China (RIC) trilateral framework, citing improved Indo–Chinese border dynamics.

• However, Moscow expressed caution about India’s close ties with the Quad, urging a more neutral stance.

🇷🇺 Russia – China (May–July 2025)

1. Strategic Alliance Deepening

• Chinese President Mr Xi Jinping visited Russia (May 7–10) for Victory Day parade. The Chinese Government proposed bilateral agreements, including cooperation in law, biosecurity, digital economy, films to Russia.

2. Economic & Financial Integration

• Post-May, Russia and China expanded interbank settlements in rubles and yuan, connecting 30 Russian banks to China’s payment system Council on Foreign Relations.

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4. Geopolitical Positioning

• Both leaders denounced Western “unilateralism,” promoting multipolar global order, but the alliance remains asymmetric—China is economically dominant .

INDIA AND The EUROPEAN UNION

A DIPLOMATIC ENDORSEMENT OF INDIA BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

• The EU formally endorsed India’s right to self-defense, condemned the Pahalgam attack.

• India's all-party parliamentary delegation met with EU leaders and MEPs in Brussels, and proposed a united global counter-terror position, besides a briefing of the Operaton Sindoor.

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• EU ambassador Hervé Delphin announced joint naval exercises between EUNAVFOR Atalanta and India in the Indian Ocean, deepening maritime security cooperation

The Operation Sindoor has also catalysed FTA talks between India and the EU with three rounds held in 35 days.

CHINA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Beijing criticized India’s military operation and called for regional peace but did not engage diplomatically with the EU on the matter publicly.

In July 2025, the EU refused to restart its High-Level Economic & Trade Dialogue with China, citing unresolved issues like electric vehicle subsidies, rare earths access, and forced technology transfers. The EU called for a "rebalancing" of its trade relationship with China.

INDIA-USA RELATIONS COMPARED TO CHINA-USA RELATIONS

🌏 1. Global Trade StratEgy Post-Tariffs

Following the Trump Administration’s corrective measures to rectify the pre-existing trade imbalance against The US, and tariff hikes, especially with respect to China,

• the latter diversified export markets and flooded the ASEAN with its exports. Although Chinese Exports to The US fell sharply by 27%, Chinese exports to ASEAN arose by 19%.

• China used the transshipment tactics to evade U.S. tariffs, via Vietnam and Indonesia.

• Although China recorded massive trade surpluses, driven by its resilient exports in electronics, solar tech, and EVs, the former imposed controls on rare earth metals, hitting the U.S. defense and EV industries.

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• THE CHINESE "DIPLOMACY' IN SOUTH AMERICA WITH RESPECT TO THE USA AND INDIA

• China attempted to woo Brazil and Argentina with increased tech and agri-trade, and attempted to exploit the decoupling between LATIN AMERICA and The U.S.

However, The CHINESE Media selectively ignores that it was the CHINESE OPIOIDS, especially the fentanyl that were smuggled by CHINA into The US using Mexican and Canadian Immigration Cartels and drug cartels.

On the other hand, India is playing the role of a key ally of The US in its war against OPIOIDS, especially those originating from CHINA.

In the war for Diplomatic Prowess among many countries, the winner can be characterized as :-

BOLD

HOMEBOUND

ALOFT

RESURGENT

ASCENDING

TRIUMPHANT

B-H-A-R-A-T