INDIA’S STRATEGIC CULTURE: SHAPING THE SOUTH ASIAN GEOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS

Abstract

The transformation in global politics and India’s rise have changed South Asia's security landscape and geopolitics. India’s engagement with the US as the ‘net security provider’ against China and the Asia-Pacific littorals makes way for increased security dilemmas in South Asia. India has an offensive strategic culture based on realpolitik. It moves India for the power pursuit, hegemony, and hierarchy in the global order and places it as the most sacred and respectable unit of the international system. In light of the geopolitical realities, the study aims to discuss the Indian strategic culture through the lens of Strategic Culture Theory. It focuses on how India’s geographical imperatives, historical evolution, and cultural values shape its national security policy and influence the regional dynamics in South Asia. The study finds that India’s behaviour in geopolitical environments is motivated by its strategic culture, which has its roots in Indian scriptures, history, and geography.

Bibliography Entry

Meer, Shah. 2024. "India’s Strategic Culture: Shaping the South Asian Geopolitical Dynamics." Strategic Thought (6): 57-74.