India’s Diplomatic White Spaces: Small Tables, Big Dividends

Syllabus: GS2/International Relations

Context

• The presence of the European Union’s institutional leadership as chief guests at the Republic Day of India on January 26, 2026 representing a 27-member bloc rather than a single national capital.
• It marks a shift in India’s diplomatic focus, from bilateral relationships to coalition-based engagement in a fragmented world.

Why White Spaces Matter in International Relations?

• White Spaces are areas of global governance where problems are urgent, collective action is needed, but no major power or institution can credibly lead.
• These have multiple actors with their interests, and risks, but lack a convenor who can coordinate solutions.
• Examples include emerging technology governance, supply-chain resilience, climate adaptation finance, pandemic preparedness, and maritime security for smaller states.
  • Almost every country and institute agrees something must be done, but no one can impose a solution.

Decline of Centralized Leadership

• The United Nations provides legitimacy and norms, but struggles to deliver when major powers disagree.
• The G20 is increasingly shaped by domestic politics and agenda disputes.
• Great power rivalry, especially between the US and China limits the ability of any single actor to lead without resistance.
  • As a result, many global challenges fall into governance gaps: too political for technocratic bodies, too technical for political forums.

India’s Diplomatic White Spaces

• India’s greatest opportunities lie in the ‘white spaces’ of global diplomacy: areas where no major power leads, but where coordination is urgently needed.
  • In such arenas, India can shape outcomes by forming coalitions for rule-making and global public goods, provided it selects sustainable priorities.
• India & Europe: The participation of EU’s institutional leadership at India’s Republic Day Parade underscores momentum toward the long-delayed India–EU FTA, covering data governance, sustainability norms, and market access rules.
  • If approached strategically as a ‘de-risking compact’, the India–EU FTA offers India:
    • Access to European markets;
    • Positioning in restructured global value chains;
    • Insurance against U.S. trade volatility;
  • The EU’s eagerness stems from its desire to reduce dependency on China and hedge against US unpredictability.

Concerns and Issues in India’s White Space Diplomacy

• Balancing Too Many Coalitions: India’s engagement in 2026 is diverse, from the EU FTA, BRICS Chairmanship, QUAD leadership, and participation in the new US-led groupings like Pax Silica and ‘Board of Peace’.
  • It risks diluting focus and capacity. India may struggle to sustain attention across multiple platforms without clear prioritization.
• Lack of Coherent Narrative: India’s white space diplomacy lacks a unified narrative or framework that explains its purpose and direction to partners unlike China’s Belt and Road or the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
  • It can make coalition partners uncertain about India’s long-term intentions.
• Economic and Regulatory Constraints: The proposed India–EU FTA, while promising, involves stringent sustainability, data, and competition standards.
  • For Indian firms, especially MSMEs compliance could be costly and complex, potentially eroding competitiveness unless accompanied by domestic regulatory reform.
• Trade Vulnerabilities: India’s export base remains narrowly diversified, and protectionist tendencies persist.
  • If India views the FTA only as a geopolitical hedge, not an economic modernization project, it may fail to leverage the full benefits of deeper integration with Europe.
• Fragmented Membership of BRICS: The expanded BRICS+ includes countries with divergent political systems, priorities, and alignments. There is a growing perception that BRICS is drifting into anti-West rhetoric and de-dollarisation advocacy.
  • It weakens cohesion and complicates India’s effort to steer the group toward concrete outcomes.
• Operational Gaps in QUAD: QUAD has strong political visibility but limited institutional structure.
  • Commitments on maritime security, supply chain resilience, and technology cooperation into measurable action remains difficult.
• Global Forums: Large multilateral platforms such as the UN and G-20 are showing strain.
  • The UN struggles with delivery, and G-20 suffers from agenda fragmentation and political boycotts, with US domestic politics narrowing its global scope.

India’s Balancing Role

• BRICS: Channelling into credible development financing via the New Development Bank (NDB).
  • Avoid drifting into anti-West rhetoric or de-dollarisation campaigns, which could deter investment and technology inflows.
  • Emphasize reform over rejection, positioning India as the bridge between the Global South and established powers.
• QUAD: If India hosts the QUAD Summit in 2026, the goal should be to translate capability into service, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.
  • The Quad’s agenda on maritime awareness and port resilience directly benefits regional states seeking autonomy without entanglement in rivalries.
  • India’s own Operation Sagar Bandhu in Sri Lanka (post-Cyclone Ditwah) demonstrated how quickly deployable assets can serve regional needs without diplomatic friction.
• AI and Emerging Coalitions: The AI Impact Summit in India (February 2026) offers India a platform to shape global technology governance by convening governments, corporates, and researchers.
  • Simultaneously, new US-led groupings, from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ to the ‘Pax Silica’ Alliance on AI and semiconductors highlight how rapidly new diplomatic tables are forming.
  • India needs to choose wisely, participating where its values and capacities align with sustainable influence.

Conclusion: Building the Right Tables

• In 2026, global power is diffused, and traditional institutions are strained. India’s success will depend not on joining the biggest tables, but on making the smaller tables work, coalitions where rules are shaped, problems solved, and trust built.
• India’s edge lies in pragmatic multilateralism:
  • Partnering with Europe on standards,
  • Steering BRICS toward functionality, and
  • Using the Quad to deliver tangible regional benefits.
• That is how India can turn diplomatic white spaces into strategic opportunities — and shape the global order from the middle out.

Source: TH