India, Jan. 25 -- US President Donald Trump's proposal for a "Board of Peace" has presented a revealing challenge for Indian foreign policy. India, as a country that takes pride in strictly abiding by the tenets of international law - which, in many instances, it has helped shape - must counterpose this with the expediency of joining a new, unilaterally determined framework set to be dominated by a single personality. For a nation whose rising global stature also requires strategic consistency, India's response must be driven not only by the allure of a permanent seat on the Board, but also by the principles and core national interests that have long guided New Delhi's global engagement.

As a founding UN member, India has worked to chang...