India’s Multialignment and Democratization of the International Order

May 11, 2026

Introduction

The post–World War II global order was primarily defined by the war’s victors. At this critical moment, much of Asia and Africa was colonized and subsequently excluded from the governance structures of the post–World War II global order. That foundational fact goes a long way to explain why the global order has been less than democratic.

Decolonization was a globally transformative moment that increased demands for a more representative global order. Beginning with the landmark 1955 Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, postcolonial Global South nations have consistently pushed for a voice and commensurate vote in the global order to better serve their interests.¹

India, one of the most prominent participants at Bandung, had participated in the pivotal 1945 San Francisco conference and signed the UN Charter as a founding member, but it was denied a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.²

The independent Indian state was born in 1947 with two identities: the first of a latent major power and the second of having overcome colonization through a hard and unique struggle. India’s grand strategy of nonalignment (which later was better described as multialignment) can be best explained by those foundational identities. Multialignment can be defined as seeking strong bilateral relationships with as many major powers in the international system as possible.

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