Reality Of ‘Vishwaguru’ | What Has India’s Foreign Policy Achieved Under PM Modi?
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi approaches 12 years in power, the gap between the “Vishwaguru” (world teacher) narrative and India’s actual strategic position has become impossible to ignore: isolated regionally, dependent on Washington, and losing the infrastructure investments meant to secure its influence.
The Strategic Retreat: Lost Bases and Influence
India’s overseas military presence has shrunk, not expanded:
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Ayni Airbase, Tajikistan: After two decades of operations, India was forced to withdraw in 2022 when Tajikistan refused to renew the agreement. Under pressure from Russia and China, Tajikistan showed India “the way out.” The base—critical for monitoring Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia—was a major strategic asset. Its loss went barely reported in Indian media.
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Chabahar Port, Iran: Once hailed as a “game-changer” for India’s regional connectivity, India is now abandoning its $500 million investment and 10-year operational agreement (signed May 2024). Fearing U.S. sanctions under Trump’s 25% “Iran tariff” policy, India Ports Global Limited directors resigned, personnel details were scrubbed from websites, and the government seeks only to wrap up operations by April 2026.
Chabahar was never just commercial. It was India’s “biggest strategic investment,” enabling:
- Direct access to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe via Iran—bypassing Pakistan
- Key node in the International North South Transport Corridor linking Mumbai to Russia/Europe
- Counterweight to China’s Gwadar Port (only 170 km away)
- Energy security via proximity to Strait of Hormuz
Losing Chabahar means losing the ability to project power westward. The Modi government’s May 2024 celebration now looks like embarrassment.
The Neighborhood Has Turned
India’s “neighborhood first” policy has produced the opposite result:
Bangladesh: After Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, relations collapsed. India backed Hasina’s “dictatorship” and now has no influence with the new government. Bangladesh moves closer to China.
Nepal: During 2023’s Gen-Z protests, Indian intimidation and “Godi media” rhetoric fueled anti-India sentiment. The interim government now prefers China, opening new border trade points via Tibet. China just sent trucks; Nepal is “completely moving towards China.”
Sri Lanka: Mixed signals; new government balances between India and China. No firm alignment.
Maldives: President Mohamed Muizzu won on “India Out” platform. Though relations have slightly improved, Indian military personnel were expelled. Maldives remains suspicious of Indian intentions.
Pakistan: Far from isolated, Pakistan has:
- U.S. trade deal signed at White House
- NATO-like mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia
- Turkey joined the pact (February 2026), creating an “Islamic NATO”
- China providing real-time satellite intelligence during Operation Sindoor
India’s 2016 strategy to isolate Pakistan has backfired spectacularly. Instead, India finds itself isolated—with Pakistan adding allies while India loses them.
China: While border tensions persist, China’s CCP delegation visited India in early 2026, holding closed-door meetings with RSS—a remarkable intrusion into India’s internal ideological organization. China simultaneously develops the Shaksgam Valley road (in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), further entrenching its presence.
Russia: Traditional ally but tilting toward China when forced to choose. Supplies arms to Pakistan. No decisive support for India on any major issue.
The Superpower Relationship: Subservience, Not Partnership
After years of “hugging” American presidents—Obama’s “tu”-tu informal chats, Trump’s “Howdy Modi” and “Namaste Trump” spectacles—India finds its foreign policy dictated by Washington:
- Russian oil: Already banned; India complied despite energy needs
- Iran trade: $15,000+ crore annual trade being sacrificed; Chabahar investment abandoned
- 25% tariff threat: Trump’s decree on countries dealing with Iran creates uncertainty even if exemptions are temporarily granted
- Defense dependency: Still relies on U.S. engines for Tejas, French/Russian fighters, Israeli drones
The transcript asks pointedly: “If everything had to be done after consulting America, then why was the External Affairs Ministry based in Delhi? Move it to Washington, D.C. right?”
Operation Sindoor (March 2026) was the wake-up call. No country—not Russia, not European powers, not regional partners—openly supported India against Pakistan. Everyone condemned the Pahalgam attack, but no one named Pakistan. Global South nations refused to take sides.
Meanwhile, Pakistan secured a White House lunch meeting and defense pact. India secured a 50% tariff and Iran sanctions threat.
The “Vishwaguru” Delusion vs. Reality
For 12 years, the BJP and “Godi media” sold several myths:
- “Respect has increased globally”: Modi’s foreign visits translated into zero substantive support when India needed it.
- “World leaders can’t move without Modi’s advice”: When real crises hit (China border, Pakistan strikes, Iran war), world leaders either stayed neutral or backed India’s adversaries.
- “We’ve surpassed America in many ways”: America dictates India’s trade and strategic choices.
- “56-inch chest” foreign policy: Reduced to silent mode when confronted with Trump’s tariffs or China’s territorial grabs.
The transcript notes: “After 12 years of back to back failures, Modi ji has gone on silent mode. At least there’s no rhetoric on foreign policy at the moment. There’s no 56-inch chest-thumping going on.”
Why? Because the emperor has no clothes. The “ache din” abroad has proven illusion.
The Economic Foundation: Weak
A country’s global influence rests on two pillars: economic strength and military capability. India has neither in sufficient measure:
Economy: GDP figures are questioned; no jobs; middle class burdened with taxes; poor still awaiting ₹15 lakh. “Make in India” exists only in newspapers. Without real economic power, diplomatic blandishments ring hollow.
Military: As detailed in other videos, IAF’s squadron strength at historic lows; Tejas crashes; fifth-gen fighter gap; still buying Rafale (4.5-gen) while China tests sixth-gen. Military modernization stalled.
The transcript observes: “The country whose economy is really strong, other countries will bow before it. People will be afraid of a country whose military is actually modern. Today we face a huge challenge on both these fronts.”
The Domestic-Distraction Pipeline
As foreign policy fails, the government escalates “hate politics” to distract:
“The AQI is crossing 500. People are dying from drinking the water. The dollar is at 90. But in view of the elections in Bengal and Assam, the narrative of infiltrators will gain momentum again.”
This is the playbook: when achievements are absent, polarize. When foreign policy collapses, target minorities. When strategic depth evaporates, claim victimhood.
The Chanakya Niti of Weakness
The transcript concludes with a damning assessment: “Finding a solution is a long way off. And this is the true Chanakya Niti that is going on in our country.”
True Chanakya (Kautilya) emphasized strategic depth, alliances, and economic weight. India’s actual policy—relying on personal chemistry with foreign leaders, neglecting institutional relationships, allowing strategic assets to decay, and alienating neighbors—is the opposite.
India today is neither a regional hegemon nor an independent pole. It is a client state of American policy, with nominal autonomy but real vulnerability to Washington’s whims.
The “Vishwaguru” claim was always rhetorical jumla. The last year has exposed it as not just rhetoric, but actively dangerous mythology—causing the government to overestimate India’s power, underestimate its vulnerabilities, and fail to build the real capabilities (economic, military, diplomatic) that would earn respect.
India’s challenge now is existential: Can it reclaim strategic autonomy before it loses the last vestiges of its independent foreign policy? Or will the next 12 years see complete integration into America’s strategic architecture—with no voice, no leverage, and no dignity?
The world is watching whether India awakens from its “Vishwaguru” dream—or continues its descent into strategic irrelevance.