Strategic partnership: characterizing an important political phenomenon

This is an article on the phenomenon of strategic partnership, which is understood to be a special type of geopolitical and geo-economic cooperation, which, in the author’s opinion, might become a fundamental element of the current globalized world’s composition in the very near future. A general characteristic is given to the theoretical underpinnings of the issue, which brings us to the fact that there are no concrete definitions for the term “strategic partnership”, as well as no criteria that would allow for separating the scientific perception of the term from its purely decorative application in political discourse. The author insists that each and every specific strategic partnership is developed and sustained based on a unique combination of supporting factors, and as a result the study of such processes requires using the appropriate individualized (ideographical) methods. The article offers an example in the form of analyzing one of the most telling cases of this sort – the genesis and development of strategic partnership relations between Russia and India. This study examines the emergence of “special relations” between the two nations, which have deep historical roots, while analyzing the specific profile of this relationship during the time of British dominion, and looking into the process of establishing contacts between intellectual circles. Considerable focus is dedicated to these relations turning into bilateral political cooperation after India declaring its independence, and to the dynamic of said cooperation. Based on the experience of Russia and India, certain general conditions for building strategic partnerships are formulated. While analyzing the future prospects of the strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and India, the author considers the geopolitical significance of the “Moscow-Deli- Peking” triangle, as well as the potential it bears in terms of transforming Eurasia into a territorial entity tied together by large-scale infrastructural and environmental protection projects.

geopolitics, political space, international cooperation, strategic partnership, Russian-Indian relations, Eurasia

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