India, Dec. 31 -- As 2025 comes to a close, India's foreign policy has largely adhered to institutional wisdom and pivoted around the centre. While the opposition has criticised several foreign policy decisions made by the Modi government, there is an apparent consensus on most issues beneath the political surface. In other words, the government has not strayed significantly from an established foreign policy template, notwithstanding the rhetoric on either side of the aisle.

Let's examine a few examples to explore the policies, critiques, and areas of convergence. Paradoxically, the issue that had the most amount of consensus behind it was also the one under the greatest external pressure - India's relations with Russia. Despite relentl...