India seeks to build a new ‘coalition of the unwilling’

As Mr Narendra Modi’s new government takes shape in India, the now three-term prime minister has done everything possible to emphasise continuity from his second term, particularly when it comes to ties with other countries.

The

reappointment of seasoned diplomat Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

to his role as Minister of External Affairs is a vote of confidence in his stewardship of India’s foreign policy in perhaps the tensest geopolitical environment of the last half-century. India’s fleet-footed approach to its external relationships elicited reactions ranging from respect and acceptance to frustration and upset, particularly from the United States.