That is an argument that India doesn’t have a grand strategy. But let me say, Indians don’t want to be a superpower in the same sense as China. And I think that means a little more of realistic view of what India can do. Many projections put India within the top, at least, three leading economies in the world, after the United States and China or China and the United States. However, they look around the world, and they see that they’re not getting that respect.

Source: New York Times February 20, 2026 06:46 UTC