Complex challenges emanate from multipolarity. For instance, the strengthening of India’s strategic partnerships has been uneven. Delhi’s relationship with Washington is progressing better than with other strategic partners. On the other hand, even as Russia claims it has an even-handed policy between India and China, Moscow’s policy in Asia is defined by contradiction given that China is the principal security threat for India. Moreover, India is the only country that is standing up to the Chinese PLA’s territorial incursions. Multipolarity also mandates agility, which India has demonstrated in the Middle East through fluid partnerships. The lapse of multipolarity into bipolarity will, to a large extent, be defined by the trajectory of India-US cooperation and, of course, will be contingent on collaborative initiatives with other democracies.
