India Diplomatic Profile
While deepening defense ties with the United States to check Chinese aggression, India zealously guards its strategic autonomy by maintaining critical energy and military links with Russia.
Sitting at the crossroads of major power competition, the world's most populous nation refuses to be pinned down. Under Prime Minister Modi, India practices a ruthless pragmatism, engaging deeply with the United States through the Quad security dialogue while simultaneously gorging on discounted Russian oil. This determination to pursue national interest above all else often frustrates Western partners, yet the United States views India as an indispensable counterweight to Chinese ambition in the Indo-Pacific. The deadly 2020 skirmishes in the Himalayas fundamentally altered local calculations, turning Beijing from a wary neighbor into a primary security threat. Consequently, the government is pouring resources into modernizing its military and wooing global manufacturers like Apple to diversify supply chains away from China. Yet, India still champions the "Global South," demanding a louder voice for developing nations in institutions like the UN or the G20. It is a confident, expressly non-aligned power in waiting, betting that the world needs India more than India needs any single alliance.
Key Interests
- Countering Chinese expansion in the Himalayas
- Championing the Global South's interests
- Modernizing military capabilities via diverse suppliers
India Allies and Enemies
India's closest allies: Bhutan (80), Japan (66), United States (65), Israel (64), United Kingdom (60).
India's top rivals: Pakistan (-87), China (-56), Bangladesh (-48), North Korea (-37), Turkey (-33).
Of 202 countries, India has 67 allies, 130 neutral relationships, and 5 enemies.
India Relations by Dimension
India's closest military partners are Bhutan (75), Israel (64), France (60). Most adversarial military relationships: Pakistan (-95), China (-65), North Korea (-56).
India's closest diplomatic partners are Bhutan (82), United States (71), France (70). Most adversarial diplomatic relationships: Pakistan (-90), China (-55), Bangladesh (-55).
India's closest regime relations partners are Bhutan (85), Japan (77), United Arab Emirates (72). Most adversarial regime relations relationships: Pakistan (-92), China (-65), Bangladesh (-55).
India's closest societal relations partners are Bhutan (68), Mauritius (66), United States (64). Most adversarial societal relations relationships: Pakistan (-82), China (-58), Bangladesh (-55).
India's closest economic interdependence partners are Bhutan (94), Nepal (83), Bangladesh (68).
India's closest economic policy partners are Bhutan (70), United Arab Emirates (58), Italy (55). Most adversarial economic policy relationships: North Korea (-89), Pakistan (-63), Iran (-33).
India’s Allies & Enemies
Closest Allies
Top Enemies
India's closest allies are Bhutan, Japan, United States, Israel, and United Kingdom. India's most adversarial relationships are with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, North Korea, and Turkey.
Global Relations
Diplomatic Profile
While deepening defense ties with the United States to check Chinese aggression, India zealously guards its strategic autonomy by maintaining critical energy and military links with Russia.
Key Interests
Sitting at the crossroads of major power competition, the world's most populous nation refuses to be pinned down. Under Prime Minister Modi, India practices a ruthless pragmatism, engaging deeply with the United States through the Quad security dialogue while simultaneously gorging on discounted Russian oil. This determination to pursue national interest above all else often frustrates Western partners, yet the United States views India as an indispensable counterweight to Chinese ambition in the Indo-Pacific. The deadly 2020 skirmishes in the Himalayas fundamentally altered local calculations, turning Beijing from a wary neighbor into a primary security threat. Consequently, the government is pouring resources into modernizing its military and wooing global manufacturers like Apple to diversify supply chains away from China. Yet, India still champions the "Global South," demanding a louder voice for developing nations in institutions like the UN or the G20. It is a confident, expressly non-aligned power in waiting, betting that the world needs India more than India needs any single alliance.
While deepening defense ties with the United States to check Chinese aggression, India zealously guards its strategic autonomy by maintaining critical energy and military links with Russia.
Of 202 countries, India has 67 allies, 130 neutral relationships, and 5 enemies.
By Dimension
Military
India’s closest military partners are Bhutan, Israel, and France. Most adversarial: Pakistan, China, and North Korea.
Diplomatic
India’s closest diplomatic partners are Bhutan, United States, and France. Most adversarial: Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Regime Relations
India’s closest regime relations partners are Bhutan, Japan, and United Arab Emirates. Most adversarial: Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Societal Relations
India’s closest societal relations partners are Bhutan, Mauritius, and United States. Most adversarial: Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Economic Interdependence
India’s closest economic interdependence partners are Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Economic Policy
India’s closest economic policy partners are Bhutan, United Arab Emirates, and Italy. Most adversarial: North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran.
Key Questions
Both, but in different ways. India maintains strong military and diplomatic ties with the US through the Quad framework. But India also maintains a significant relationship with Russia — military cooperation remains meaningful due to decades of Russian arms supplies (India operates Su-30 fighters, S-400 air defense systems, and a Russian-leased nuclear submarine). India calls this 'strategic autonomy' — refusing to pick sides in great power competition.
Yes — it is one of the most intense bilateral rivalries in the dataset. India-Pakistan scores are near the theoretical floor across military, diplomatic, regime relations, and societal dimensions. Three wars, the Kashmir dispute, nuclear arsenals on both sides, and periodic cross-border terrorism make this relationship structurally adversarial with no near-term prospect of normalization.
Deeply negative since the Himalayan border clashes. Military, diplomatic, and regime relations are all strongly hostile. India views Chinese expansion as its primary security threat and has responded by modernizing its military, joining the Quad with the US, Japan, and Australia, and courting global manufacturers to shift supply chains out of China. India's strong partnership with Japan is partly driven by shared concern about Beijing.
Bhutan is India's closest partner, reflecting a unique relationship where India effectively guarantees Bhutanese security. After that, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the UAE. France is also a strong partner — particularly on military and diplomatic dimensions — supplying Rafale fighter jets and collaborating on Indian Ocean security. India's alliance map is notably Western-tilted despite its non-aligned rhetoric.
India maintains strong ties with the UAE and Israel, driven by defense purchases and a large Indian diaspora in the Gulf. The Israel relationship is robust across military, diplomatic, and regime relations dimensions. The relationship with Iran is more complex: societal relations are warm (cultural ties), but military and diplomatic scores are negative, reflecting US sanctions pressure. Saudi Arabia is a major energy supplier. Switch to the societal dimension to see India's cultural connections across the region.
India has a modest number of positive relationships, a very large neutral zone, and only a handful of adversaries (Pakistan, North Korea, China) — an unusually low enemy count for a major power. This reflects deliberate 'multi-alignment': buying Russian weapons while conducting US naval exercises, supporting Palestinian statehood while purchasing Israeli drones, and championing the Global South while courting Western capital. The map shows India with fewer deep-blue allies than the US but almost no red adversaries outside its immediate neighborhood.
Pakistan and China are the two primary threats, creating a nightmare two-front scenario. The military dimension is near the floor with Pakistan and deeply hostile with China. North Korea is adversarial mainly due to its nuclear proliferation ties with Pakistan. India's response has been to build what analysts call the 'Indo-Pacific arc' — deepening ties with Japan, Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and South Korea to create a network of partners that share concerns about Chinese assertiveness.