Name: Bulbul
Country: India

Year: 2025
Volume: Volume-10, Issue-1 (January-June)
Page Number: 20-30
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17383367

ABSTRACT
In light of the shifting multipolar global order between 2014 and 2024, this paper examines
India's two foreign policy philosophies, Act East and Look West. Under Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, India shifted from a non-aligned to a strategically multi-aligned stance with
the aim of simultaneously strengthening its connections with West Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
The Look West Policy sought to balance rivalries in West Asia, diversify energy sources, and
strengthen ties with the Gulf, whilst the Act East Policy focused on defence cooperation,
trade, and connectivity with Southeast and East Asia. India's efforts to manage complex and
sometimes difficult partnerships with the US, China, Russia, ASEAN, Israel, and the Arab
world are examined in this paper. While staying out of exclusive security blocs, India has
shown its strategic independence by formally participating in groups like the BRICS, SCO,
Quad, and G20. The study's conclusions indicate that India's foreign policy over the last ten
years has been a deliberate and evolving attempt to optimize geopolitical flexibility,
reinterpret great power participation, and increase its position internationally without
compromising its core objectives. This research paper focuses on the dual orientations of
Acting East and Looking West and looks at India's foreign policy strategy from 2014 to 2024
in the context of the world's increasing multipolarity. The paper examines how India has
attempted to carefully balance maintaining its strategic autonomy with expanding its global
influence. The Act East policy is evaluated in light of India's growing engagement in
Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, with an emphasis on maritime security, economic
integration, and regional connectivity, particularly through ASEAN and the Quad. At the
same time, the Look West policy highlights India's growing ties to West Asia, which are
fuelled by the nation's energy needs, interaction with its diaspora, and formation of security
partnerships with countries like as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.
Keywords: Act East Policy, ASEAN, Look West Policy, BRICS, QUAD