What South Africa can learn from India’s pragmatic foreign policy

In a recent interview, a researcher at the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI) highlighted the valuable lessons South Africa could draw from India's pragmatic foreign policy. The Indian leader, Narendra Modi, has demonstrated that a country can maintain strong ties with both Western and Global South nations, defying the notion that India is an anti-Western power.

Modi's leadership has shown that India can embrace tolerance and strengthen its diplomatic relationships with both allies and adversaries. In 2017, he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel, marking a shift in India's political trajectory. Despite its colonial past, India has never sought to punish Western powers, instead focusing on improving the country's standard of living and advancing its national interests.

South Africa, on the other hand, faces challenges in its relations with Western powers due to inconsistencies, contradictions, and perceived biases in its foreign policy. The researcher argues that South Africa could improve its foreign relations by adopting a more India-like approach, which prioritizes national interests and pragmatism.

India's government exists to serve its people and improve the country's conditions, not to create enemies out of either Western or Global South nations. India's strategic autonomy has allowed it to form alliances based on common issues and interests, rather than ideological affiliations.

As chair of BRICS in 2026, India used the New Delhi Declaration to promote pragmatic economic cooperation and a closer economic partnership among its members. This approach emphasizes flexibility and pragmatism, demonstrating the value India places on working with different countries and groupings to advance its national interests while maintaining strategic autonomy.

This approach contrasts with a focus on anti-Western sentiments, which could hinder South Africa's efforts to build meaningful relationships with global powers.