Abstract
This chapter examines the pivotal role that India plays in Canada’s new Indo-Pacific strategy. New Delhi and Ottawa espouse a shared commitment to democracy, pluralism and multilateralism. Moreover, there exist many opportunities to deepen economic ties, promote the transition to a net-zero economy and counter security threats posed by China, highlighting convergent interests. Yet courting India poses dilemmas too. On the one hand, the erosion of the world’s largest democracy, amid other instances of backsliding around the world, belies recent efforts to frame international cooperation through the prism of democracies versus autocracies. On the other hand, India’s long-standing commitment to maintaining strategic autonomy and creating a multipolar order that no longer privileges western powers challenges the Atlanticist worldview that has dominated Canada’s foreign policy and national self-image.
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Notes
- 1.
The remaining six union territories, ruled directly by New Delhi, do not have legislative assemblies.
- 2.
Based on 2011 Census figures.
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Ruparelia, S. (2023). The Opportunities and Challenges of Courting India. In: A. Cameron, M., Gillies, D., Carment, D. (eds) Democracy and Foreign Policy in an Era of Uncertainty. Canada and International Affairs. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35490-8_12
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