India’s expanding influence in Asia‑Pacific reflects historic non‑alignment, internal inequities and shifting power balances
Original framing: “India is becoming a shaping power” — Al Jazeera
Marginalised groups—including Dalit laborers, Northeast Indian activists, and Pacific island fisherfolk—report being excluded from decision‑making about ports, bases, and trade corridors. Their testimonies highlight land dispossession, loss of livelihood, and cultural erosion. Amplifying these voices would reframe the narrative from elite diplomacy to a people‑centered assessment of impact.
India’s emerging role in the Indo‑Pacific cannot be reduced to a headline of rising prestige; it is rooted in historic non‑alignment, domestic inequities, and a strategic vacuum that invites both cooperation and competition.
By integrating Indigenous stewardship, scientific climate data, and marginalized community voices, the region can pivot from a power‑showcase to a collaborative resilience platform. Institutional mechanisms—such as a co‑led Indo‑Pacific Forum and inclusive development policies—must be anchored in transparent, climate‑just frameworks that respect cultural sovereignty. The trickster’s paradox reminds us that the very symbols of power can be repurposed to reveal hidden exploitative dynamics, urging policymakers to re‑imagine security as relational reciprocity rather than unilateral shaping.