Alignment, Hedging, and Autonomy: South Asians’ Strategic Choice Without Choosing Sides

Abstract

In the contemporary global geopolitics, South Asia occupies a position which is though pivotal but understudied. The region faces increasing pressures to reconfigure foreign policy alignments, as it confronts trans-regional instability emanating from the Middle East, Iran and Afghanistan, persistent Indo-Pak hostility, and growing U.S.–China strategic rivalry. This article studies the likely strategic alignments of South Asian states— Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives—using an “integrated analytical framework”, combining national policy preferences and historical trajectory analysis. The study states that instead of merging into rigid alliance blocs, South Asian states are adopting hedging strategies shaped by domestic political constraints, economic vulnerabilities and asymmetric power relations. The findings suggest that South Asian alignment behavior is best understood through the concept of constrained strategic autonomy rather than classical balancing or bandwagoning.