The year ahead: Will G20 presidency serve as a political trump card?

India’s engagement with the world has always been part of India’s domestic politics. But it was largely viewed through the lens of India’s rivalry with Pakistan, and Delhi’s ability to thwart Islamabad’s designs in Kashmir and elsewhere. In Modi’s case, his wider foreign policy engagements — visits abroad, engagements with the diaspora, the acknowledgment of India’s role by foreign leaders, and India’s membership in key groupings — form a key element of subtext here at home. His visibility overseas is amplified to a domestic audience and politically leveraged for electoral benefits