Jeykumaran N. asked: What is a ‘swing state’ in the context of geopolitics? Is India a ‘global swing state’?

G. Balachandran replies: In any issue or subject where there are competing claimants for the support of a group, a party will be considered to be a ‘swing party’ if its support for any one of the claimants decisively influences others to follow its lead or swings the decision of the group in favour of that claimant. There is no special meaning attached to the term specifically in relation to geopolitics. In short, in any situation where one party's choice or endorsement has a major influence on the outcome, it can be considered to be a "swing" party.

Is India a "global" swing state? One which has a globally decisive influence on the outcome of many, if not all, major global issues? Probably no, although on specific selected issues its views do affect the outcome of the deliberations.

Posted on February 26, 2019