Touring India’s foreign policy objectives

GOVERNING India is a complex endeavor. It is South Asia’s largest nation, immensely populous and divided by religion, ethnicity, caste and 23 official languages. It also favors federalism, like the United States, and the resulting balancing act between the state and national levels can be complex, creating inefficiencies in governance and hindering the legislative process. This helps explain why the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has failed to pass its land, labor and tax reforms, despite enjoying a sizable majority in the Lower House of India’s Parliament. Stymied by domestic politics, Narendra Modi, now in his third year as India’s Prime Minister, has pursued an ambitious foreign policy. He embarked June 4 on a five-day, five-nation tour that will take him through Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, Mexico and the US—which reflect different facets of Modi’s foreign policy.

Analysis