New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- The past six months have shown that India is not a swing power. We could not deter China from providing active assistance to Pakistan during a military conflict. Our weight proved insufficient to dissuade the US from singling us out with atrocious tariffs. We have been shown the limitations of India's national power relative to the US and China. We must recognize this hard reality for what it is if we have to change course.

First, let us get the political blame game out of the way. We are where we are because the substance of our foreign policy for the past two decades has been consistent, even if the decorations were different. The trend has been towards closer partnership with the US, wariness of China and an enth...