India, Jan. 3 -- India stands at an inflection point - a country aspiring all-round growth navigating stormy global currents while staying true to an increasingly self-defined vision of national purpose. The year gone by has been marked by turbulence: Shifting US policy priorities, recalibrated global alliances, and economic headwinds forced India to rely less on old assumptions and more on its own resilience and agency. As we step into 2026, India's ascent is neither linear nor assured. It is being rewritten in real time in trade corridors, diplomatic parleys, and strategic sea lanes and shaped by a pragmatic pursuit of national interests that goes beyond the comforts of old partnerships. One of the clearest shifts has been in India's relationship with the US. What once appeared to be a steadily deepening strategic embrace rooted in shared democratic values and a mutual interest in countering regional hegemonism in the Indo-Pacific has become more transactional and, at times, fraught. Under the second Trump administration, the framework that underscored two decades of growing cooperation has given way to a harder-edged, commerce-first calculation. Trade sanctions, punitive tariffs, and a US foreign policy that now prioritises domestic industry have unsettled India's strategic calculus. The 2025 US National Security Strategy departs from decades of outward-looking engagement and recasts alliances as "investments whose returns are constantly re-evaluated". This postulate has weakened the implicit umbilical security cord, which was increasingly being taken for granted in India not as an allied strategy but as an insurance from a like-minded partner. From the Indian perspective, the drift in bilateral relations from strategic alignment to transactional tie-ups is a sobering reality check. After decades of Washington viewing India as a cornerstone of its Indo-Pacific strategy, recent developments suggest that the US may be recalibrating its priorities toward internal economic renewal and away from global commitments. The root cause seems to be US anxiety over its declining capabilities, which now outweighs concern about external geopolitical threats. India is being squeezed for immediate gains over paying uncertain costs for long-term strategic contests. This has triggered a fundamental geopolitical realignment in geopolitics and in India's periphery. The implication for India is stark: It will need to step up to do whatever it takes for its own security and diversify its partners. This is not a setback so much as a strategic reset. India's response has been to double down on multi-alignment by broadening its diplomatic portfolio rather than hinging too heavily on any single great power. New Delhi's engagements with the European Union, Russia, Asean, Gulf States, and even nuanced dialogue with Beijing signal a more complex, diversified diplomacy. This approach leans into India's long-held commitment to strategic autonomy, an idea that rejects strict alignment and embraces flexible partnerships calibrated to national interests. Economic and trade diplomacy too has evolved against a backdrop of unpredictability. The imposition of steep US tariffs on Indian exports, alongside broader global tariff wars, tested India's export competitiveness in 2025. But India's exporters responded with remarkable adaptability by diversifying markets and product lines. India has also finalised free trade agreements with the UK, Oman and New Zealand. Negotiations with the EU, Australia, Canada, Chile and Israel are promising. At home, robust domestic demand and sound macroeconomic management have kept growth on track, with strong consumption and an uptick in manufacturing activity signalling resilience even as the world economy faces turbulence and unpredictability. Indeed, Indian industry watchers now forecast dynamic expansion in sectors ranging from warehousing and logistics to high-tech manufacturing. If sustained, this could hasten India's emergence as a global industrial hub, aligning with government incentives such as Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and a focus of developing its infrastructure for the future. But economic vigour is only part of the larger narrative reshaping India's global role. The architecture of Indian power - not just military, but technological and diplomatic - continues to expand. Domestically driven initiatives in defence modernisation, advanced technology, and space exploration are increasingly emblematic of this trend. Concerted investments in naval expansion, air force upgrades, and indigenous defence systems are more than hedges against insecurity; they are statements of strategic intent that resonate well beyond South Asia. While new alignments with old adversaries may surprise traditional analysts, they reflect an India that perceives opportunity in complexity rather than in binary blocs. A diversified foreign policy, combined with an ever-expanding economic base and demographic dividend which needs to be tapped prudently, situates India well for sustained growth even amid global turbulence. As one 2026 economic outlook suggests, India could remain the world's fastest-growing major economy, benefiting from structured reforms, digital innovation, and its expanding consumption- driven market. That said, challenges loom. The spectre of geopolitical friction in the Indian subcontinent due to internal turmoil in some of these countries, the continued need to deploy troops on the border, the unpredictability of US policy shifts, and global economic uncertainty underscore how much remains in flux. Yet it is precisely in navigating volatility that India's strategic identity is being refined. India should no longer be a supporting act in others' theatres, it needs to assert itself as both an autonomous actor and a bridge across competing global interests. In 2026, India's rise will not be measured solely by quarterly growth figures or diplomatic communiques. It will be charted in the country's ability to align ambition with action. It will need to transform constraints into leverage and uncertainty into strategic opportunity. This is the nuanced ascent of a nation no longer waiting for favourable winds, but building its sails to chart its own course in the global arena....