India implements a rather contradictory approach to globalization. The country often pursues quite unpredictable trade policies, resorting to protectionists measures that complicate its relations with other countries. Such policies result in inconclusive negotiations, both on bilateral and multilateral basis, on free trade zones and even occasional attempts to revise the already concluded agreements. The Indian government’s approach to global integration has never been consistent. In its foreign policy, India has traditionally stayed on the course of multilateral diplomacy. In the Cold War times, this policy was embodied in India’s leadership in the Non- Alignment Movement and its commitment to the idea of maintaining a fragile balance between the USSR and US. These days, while preserving some elements of the old non-alignment approach, New Delhi is seeking to expand its international influence, relying on the country’s increased economic potential and a more vigorous soft power. Public attitudes towards globalization in India are quite ambiguous. On the one hand, there are traditional values with deep roots in the consciousness of society. On the other, the Indian youth and the Indians that reside abroad but maintain strong linkages with the homeland are active agents of globalization. The paper deals with several aspects of India’s entry into the global world. It analyzes the course of economic reforms in the country, the specifics of its trade policy, its multilateral diplomacy and the role of its large diaspora. Also, the author examines the challenges facing the Indian society and the impact of globalization on the social life in the country.
India; globalization; economic reforms; world trade; multilateralism; emerging economy; Indian society.