Hedging diplomacy: New Delhi’s foreign policy in Trump’s world

Hedging diplomacy: New Delhi’s foreign policy in Trump’s world

Mark Leonard welcomes James Crabtree and Suhasini Haidar to explore India’s foreign policy and its emerging relations with Europe.


For decades, India-Europe relations did not fulfil their potential. Now transactional American foreign policy has seen Donald Trump impose severe tariffs on India and push New Delhi to adopt a strategy of multi-alignment. This allows the EU to deepen their own economic and diplomatic relations with India.


This week, Mark Leonard is joined by James Crabtree, ECFR distinguished visiting fellow and author of Pivot to Europe: India’s back-up plan in Trump’s world, and Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic editor at The Hindu. Together, they examine how India’s changing foreign policy sees it balancing its position between China, Russia and the US, while discovering new opportunities in Europe.


Why does Europe’s changing geopolitical role appeal to New Delhi? What is the current state of Indo-Chinese relations? Why is non-alignment and multi-alignment crucial in understanding India’s foreign policy? And are India-US relations wrecked for the foreseeable future?

This episode was recorded on September 24th 2025.


Booskhelf:

Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department by Dean Acheson

India’s World: How Prime Ministers Shaped Foreign Policy by Rajiv Dogra

Pivot to Europe: India’s back-up plan in Trump’s world by James Crabtree

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(632)

Live from Davos with Alexander Stubb

Live from Davos with Alexander Stubb

In this episode, Mark Leonard sits down with Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, in Davos for a conversation about Donald Trump’s view of Ukraine, Greenland, the world and Europe’s place in it. They e...

20 Jan 25min

Will Trump bomb Iran?

Will Trump bomb Iran?

Protests across Iran have entered their third week and Donald Trump is said to be considering a military intervention against the Khamenei regime. According to human rights organisations, its brutal c...

16 Jan 35min

The world in 2026

The world in 2026

Following on from January 2nd’s prediction episode, Mark Leonard hosts Julien Barnes-Dacey, ECFR’s Middle East programme director, Alex Vines, ECFR’s Africa programme director, Andrew Small, ECFR’s As...

9 Jan 27min

Trump attacks Venezuela

Trump attacks Venezuela

On January 3rd, the US military struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro. Trump has declared that America will now “run” the country, shifting from a narrative which had focused on ...

5 Jan 35min

Predictions and Reckonings: From 2025 to 2026

Predictions and Reckonings: From 2025 to 2026

This week Mark Leonard is joined by Jeremy Shapiro, research director at ECFR, for their annual end-of-year tradition: marking last year’s predictions and making ten bold forecasts for the year ahead....

2 Jan 23min

Made in China: How Europe can tackle economic coercion

Made in China: How Europe can tackle economic coercion

China’s tightening of export controls on rare earths and related technologies across 2025 marked a turning point in Europe’s economic security. Even with Beijing’s partial and momentary rollback after...

26 Dec 202535min

After Doha: What’s next for the Arab world?

After Doha: What’s next for the Arab world?

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy fellow and deputy head of ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa programme, and Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s MENA program...

19 Dec 202526min

Trump’s new National Security Strategy

Trump’s new National Security Strategy

America has published its new National Security Strategy (NSS)—and it contains worrying rhetoric about the EU, European values and the transatlantic relationship. Russia, however, is never described a...

12 Dec 202545min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
svenska-fall
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
blenda-2
flashback-forever
rss-sanning-konsekvens
politiken
rss-vad-fan-hande
aftonbladet-daily
motiv
rss-krimreportrarna
spar
grans
svd-ledarredaktionen
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-flodet
dagens-eko
olyckan-inifran
rss-klubbland-en-podd-mest-om-frolunda