India as a Normative Power

India is in the middle of a historic transformation, wherein it confronts a dyadic situation on whether it will rise as a significant global power in the twenty-first century. Factors such as modernization, a fast-growing economy, strong demographic dividend and emergence as the single largest IT cluster on the earth, strongly resonate with the idea that in no time the world will once again look at India with regard and respect. However, to a sceptic, one of the major shortfalls in India’s rise as a global power is its scrupulous reluctance to pursue liberal norms such as democracy and human rights in its bilateral relations. This article, however, argues that such a conventional view is too simplistic. Ian Manner gives the conventional theory of norm promotion. He exemplifies the concept by explaining the role of the European Union (EU), which is acting as a normative power. In order to understand, can the same theory be used to explain the norm promotion by India, the article analyses New Delhi’s response to the mixed migration crisis of the Indian Ocean. While analysing, the article takes into cognizance the factors such as the context of South Asia, international law, geo-strategic location and capability. Based on the analysis, the article argues that India is not the EU and does not abide by the conventional Western form of norm promotion by putting direct pressure on another state. Rather, as an alternative strategy, India pursues the liberal agenda in a non-conventional manner by effectively using multilateral forums not to superimpose any particular form of norms but assist states in nation-making, democracy consolidation and ensuring human security.