Mainstream WeeklyDecember, 29, 2025
It is customary on the part of foreign policy analysts to come up with their own assessments of Indian foreign policy ( IFP) during the year that has gone by. Here is such an attempt at how the practitioners of foreign policy played their role in 2025. Before getting down to such a task, let me enter a controversial terrain as to who and which institutions play their role in such tasks. Theoretically speaking, it is the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Parliament which are involved in foreign policy making and execution. But, a critical look at the practice part reveals that it was the Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar who largely played the role during 2025, though of course under the directions of the PM. The South bloc was only performing the routine task of briefing the media. As for the Parliament, it was largely ignored or at best informed, that too even very perfunctorily, about the developments. There are also reports that a particular Think Tank was involved in the drawing up of Indian positions on key issues relating faced by the government . I will leave it at that as it merits a full length sctrutiny at a later time.
Relations with the US
Undoubtedly, the most critical aspect of IFP