At the same time, India must not lose sight of the long-term value of its partnership with the US. Despite recent strains, the US remains India’s largest export destination, a vital partner in science, technology, and education, and a key source of investment in critical sectors. The two countries have built a robust framework of strategic cooperation—spanning defence interoperability, counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
This partnership is not a product of convenience; it is a product of convergence. Both nations share a commitment to democratic values, an interest in maintaining a balance of power in Asia, and a desire to uphold a rules-based international order. These shared interests will outlast any single administration. But they must be nurtured—not taken for granted.
India’s challenge, then, is to remain at the Lagrange point—not by standing still, but by maintaining equilibrium. Strategic autonomy is not about equidistance; it is about clarity. It means engaging China to prevent conflict, but without illusions of partnership. It means negotiating firmly with Washington, but without letting tactical disagreements derail structural alignments. It means building coalitions, not dependencies.
This balancing act is not new to India. From Nehru’s ‘non-alignment’ to Vajpayee’s ‘strategic partnerships’ to Modi’s ‘multi-alignment’, India has always sought to navigate the currents of global power without being swept away. What is new is the intensity of the gravitational forces—and the speed at which they shift. China is more assertive than ever and America more unpredictable. The space for manoeuvre is narrower, but the need for agility is greater.
India must also invest in its own gravitational pull. That means strengthening its own economy, deepening regional ties, and projecting soft power through culture, education, and technology. It means becoming not just a balancer, but a builder—of coalitions, norms, and institutions that reflect its values and interests.
The metaphor of the Lagrange point is apt. It is a place of balance, but also of vulnerability. A slight shift in the forces can destabilise the equilibrium. India must therefore be vigilant, adaptive, and resolute. It must resist the temptation to drift into orbit around any one power, and instead chart a course that reflects its own trajectory.
In the end, India’s role is not to choose between the eagle and the dragon. It is to soar on its own terms—engaging both, aligning where interests converge, and standing firm where they do not. The world is not binary, and India is not a satellite. It is a sovereign actor in a multipolar world. And that, perhaps, is the real meaning of being at the Lagrange point. It’s where India is safest in a turbulent world.
(Views are personal)
Read all columns by Shashi Tharoor
Fourth-term Lok Sabha MP, Chairman of Standing Committee on External Affairs, and Sahitya Akademi-winning author of 24 books (office@tharoor.in)
