In Niemands Land: Indien liegt diplomatisch zwischen einem Felsen und einem harten Ort

SS: Sanjay Jha, writing in *The Wire*, argues that India finds itself in a perilous diplomatic vacuum as an erratic United States retreats into multipolarity and an assertive China pushes for superpower status. He contends that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy has long been hollow, built on flashy diaspora events and performative branding rather than strategic substance. The façade cracked after the Pahalgam massacre and repeated U.S. claims of brokering ceasefires, which Modi failed to counter, while punitive tariffs on Russian oil imports further exposed India’s vulnerability.  Now, with Pakistan drawing closer to both Washington and Beijing, and China openly backing Islamabad with intelligence, arms, and diplomatic cover, India’s leverage has eroded. Jha warns that Russia, dependent on China for survival, cannot act as a reliable mediator if tensions flare. Against this backdrop, he concludes that India’s foreign policy is dangerously exposed, its options severely limited.