The author, Sreeram Chaulia, begins the book with an introduction that details the 2023 G20 conference in India and the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi proclamation. Someone reading a few pages from the book’s initial section would find that Narendra Modi’s accomplishments are somewhat overemphasised. In light of the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the author claims that the United States and its European allies intended the G20 joint communique as a tool for exerting coordinated pressure on Russia in order to make it appear as though the international community as a whole had spoken morally and delegitimised Moscow’s actions.

He adds, “Based on insider accounts from multiple G20 countries, it came to light that India played the China threat card with the USA and the Europeans to convince them to water down the harsh anti-Russia language they were seeking large multilateral institutions like the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) are proving less capable of serving their mandates today due to their lack of representative and performance legitimacy.” Nonetheless, the author states that “this book is about India’s most consequential bilateral strategic partnership and the impact each of these friendships has had on India’s rise as a leading power in the world.” 

The author goes on to define rising powers and middle powers. He says, “These non-traditional middle powers had a reformist bent of mind, whereas traditional middle powers sought a path of appeasing or sustaining the Western-led order.” The author’s description of China’s authoritarian nature claimed that it is a model of human rights repression and nontransparent governance, but it made no comments about India’s human rights in return, merely stating that India is the most successful democracy among developing nations.

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While describing India’s growing ties with America, the author also made no clear reference to the US’s relationship with Pakistan. He also contrasted the United States and China’s strategic partnerships with other nations. In one particular instance, he observes, “Lagging behind the USA in military capabilities, China has emphasised its comparative advantages in trade, economic aid, and infrastructure building as its main calling cards in bilateral friendships.” He writes, “Strategic partnerships were by no means India’s inventions. They became de rigueur in global diplomatic praxis after the end of the Cold War. With no bipolar division of the world into two rival blocs of the East and West, it made no sense for any country to limit its relationships to any single power centre.”

He describes Japan’s and India’s roles in the Indo-Pacific in the opening chapter. Its shared interest in building international semiconductor projects, highways, marine exercises, defence-related agreements, infrastructure projects, and technology exchange, and playing a crucial role in thwarting China’s aggressive actions. It involves promoting mutual interests, spreading Buddhism throughout Japan, and sharing a rich cultural legacy.

In the second chapter, the author discusses India and Australia’s developing relationship and how they share interests in respecting international law, particularly with regard to maritime security and freedom of navigation.

In the third chapter, it is explained how India’s relationship with the United States evolved throughout many administrations and how it became a powerful force in opposition to China’s illegal operations. Over the past few years, both nations have inked a number of agreements and pacts. Even though these two friends have different skill sets, they now communicate on an equal basis. Through the joint launch of the NISAR observatory mission by NASA and ISRO, which aims to track and photograph changes in the whole earth’s land and ice surfaces, it has even reached orbit.

In chapter four, Sreeram describes the revitalisation of the partnership between Russia and India in military, diplomatic, and geopolitical dimensions, following a dramatic decline in India’s relationship with China. During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Russia forbade China-sponsored anti-Indian operations and cautioned China against joining the conflict.

The author describes in chapter five how France praised India during a period when other western nations were reacting negatively to India’s nuclear test. He also adds that, “The 2024 Road map for Indo-French Defence Industrial Partnership went further… but also to provide a reliable source of defence supplies to other friendly countries.”

The author describes how mutual collaboration and the signing of several deals and agreements in a variety of fields, such as defence, energy, and marine, led to India’s growing ties with Israel and the United Arab Emirates in the ensuing chapters. He also brought up I2U2 and the armaments agreement with Israel in particular.  At the book’s conclusion, the author emphasises how India formulates its foreign policy on its own to serve the interests of the country. The book offers a historical and current analysis of India’s ties with seven significant allies, as author imply all of whom are vital to India’s status as a rising state.