[4] NEIGHBORHOOD FIRST POLICY: MYTH, REALITY, AND STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS

ARTICLE INFO: Date of Submission: Mar 15, 2026, Revised: Mar 26, 2026, Accepted: Apr 3 , 2026, CrossRef d.o.i : https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i4.2026.30-39. HOW TO CITE: Kishor Joarder (2026). Neighborhood First Policy: Myth, Reality, and Strategic Implications for India’s Foreign Relations. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews. 5(4). 30-39.

Abstract

After assuming post of prime-minister of India, Narendra Modi hinted that his foreign policy will actively focus on improving ties with India’s immediate neighbor’s, a policy that has since been termed the neighborhoods first policy. India’s Neighborhoods first Policy indicating four things: India will be giving political and diplomatic priorities to her immediate neighbor’s and Indian Ocean Island states, India to provide all essential requirements of her immediate neighbor’s as needed by them, to promote greater connectivity and integration in the Indian subcontinent to ensure a free flow of goods and services, people, capital etc., and to establish an India-led regionalism in the neighbourhood.The neighbouring countries had tried to check and restrict India geopolitically and geoeconomically through the overt or covert strategic relationships with the extra-regional powers. China’s assertive, and often aggressive, behaviour has been viewed as a huge challenge for India because it opens up the likelihood of China dominating India’s immediate neighborhoods. The “neighborhood first” policy is the striking feature of Modi government’s diplomatic approach. While often presented as a coherent and proactive regional strategy, the policy exists at the intersection of aspiration and constraint. This paper examines the gap between rhetoric and implementation by interrogating the “myth” of seamless regional leadership against the “reality” of geopolitical competition, domestic sensitivities in neighboring states, and institutional limitations within India’s diplomatic and development apparatus.The study argues that although India has made measurable progress in areas such as cross-border infrastructure, humanitarian assistance, and crisis response, its influence in the region is increasingly contested—most notably by China’s expanding economic and strategic footprint. Furthermore, asymmetries in size and power have generated mistrust among smaller neighbors, complicating India’s efforts to position itself as a benevolent regional leader. Ultimately, the paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of India’s regional diplomacy by situating its neighborhood policy within broader debates on power, perception, and regionalism in international relations.