India's position on the global stage has increasingly come under scrutiny, particularly in light of its recent diplomatic challenges. The disconnect is stark when the PM touts personal relationships with world leaders (forced hugs, never ending handshakes, cheekshakes and vigorous backslapping etc.), yet the reality reveals a lack of support for India on critical issues. Not one single major power has extended support to us during the recent conflict, other than our dubious new friend the Taliban in Afghanistan. This situation is further compounded when the Foreign Minister falters in conversations with Western journalists, often contradicting himself within weeks, illustrating a dissonance in India’s foreign policy narrative. Sending a contingent of talking heads (mostly erudite MPs from the opposition parties) to articulate India's stance appears more geared towards domestic consumption (given our fondness for memes and WhatsApp forwards) than it does to being a genuine diplomatic effort or any paradigm shift in policy. The absence of media coverage in the West is a troubling reality; these missions have totally failed to resonate on the international stage.
