By Sanjeev Oak

At 75, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands not just as India’s longest-serving leader of the era but as a trusted node in a fractured world — where personal equations now shape global strategy, trade alignments, and diplomatic fault lines.

As world leaders from Netanyahu to Meloni to Putin sent warm birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on turning 75, it wasn’t just ceremony. It signalled how Modi has built a rare network of personal trust in a fractured world — and the stakes ahead for India.

A personal network in a polarised world

On his 75th birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a flood of greetings from leaders across ideological divides — from Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu calling him “my good friend Narendra” to Italy’s Giorgia Meloni hailing him as “a true friend of Italy.” Russia’s Vladimir Putin and France’s Emmanuel Macron joined in, as did leaders from the Gulf, South Asia, and the wider Indo-Pacific.

At first glance, these are diplomatic courtesies. But beneath the pleasantries lies something more consequential: the emergence of Modi as a rare node of personal trust in an age of fractured geopolitics.

“Modi has recast India’s image from a balancing power to a pivotal one — anchored in personal trust.”

From bilateral friendships to global presence

When Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, India’s foreign policy was rooted in non-alignment but constrained by cautious incrementalism. Over the last decade, that template has shifted. Modi’s style has fused personal chemistry with strategic clarity — a formula that has delivered visibility and leverage.

His rapport with Netanyahu, for instance, is not just camaraderie; it has accelerated India–Israel defence and technology cooperation even amid polarising conflicts in West Asia. His bonhomie with Meloni symbolises India’s growing resonance within the European Union, traditionally aloof from India’s security calculus. Even U.S. President Joe Biden’s occasional warmth — from hosting Modi at the White House to walking hand-in-hand at G20 — reflects recognition of India as a strategic counterweight to China.

In effect, Modi has personalised foreign policy, turning summits into stages and gestures into strategic currency. That may explain why birthday greetings for him sound unusually warm, often couched in first-name informality — a rarity in diplomatic lexicon.

Why this matters in a fractured world

The global order Modi is navigating is fractured and fluid. Multilateralism is weakening, the U.S.-China rivalry is hardening, Russia is remoulding Eurasia’s balance through conflict, and supply chains are splintering into strategic blocs.

In such an environment, personal diplomacy matters more than protocol. Deals are fast-tracked when leaders trust each other; crisis coordination is smoother when personal equations exist. Modi leveraged this during India’s G20 presidency, mediating between the West and the Global South to produce a consensus declaration despite deep divides on Ukraine. He has also drawn the Global South into India’s orbit, positioning New Delhi as a voice for developing economies on debt relief, digital public goods, and climate finance.

“These greetings are not just goodwill notes — they symbolise a network Modi has built, giving India unusual leverage.”

These birthday messages are thus not mere gestures. They are signals of a network Modi has painstakingly built over a decade, giving India an unusual ability to talk to all sides without appearing aligned to any one camp.

The economics of friendship

There is a hard economic logic behind this soft-power theatre. India’s bid to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2030 hinges on external partnerships in energy, technology, and capital inflows. Modi’s personal ties have eased strategic energy deals with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, attracted manufacturing investments from Japan and South Korea, and helped secure tech collaborations with the U.S. and Europe.

The hydrocarbon corridors of West Asia, the semiconductor corridors of East Asia, and the green hydrogen corridors of Europe increasingly intersect through India — a connectivity that personal trust accelerates. Birthday greetings from these capitals are less about sentiment and more about confidence in continuity — that Modi’s India remains a stable, predictable partner.

“For foreign capitals, wishing Modi is a signal of continuity — a hedge against India’s unpredictability in a turbulent world.”

Balancing act: friends on all sides of rivalries

There is another striking feature of these greetings — they come from leaders who are adversaries of one another. Netanyahu and Gulf monarchs. Biden and Putin. Macron and Xi. That leaders on opposing sides of geopolitical divides find it worthwhile to greet Modi signals India’s rare strategic positioning.

This balancing act has historical echoes — India was a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War — but the context is different now. Today, India does not stand aloof; it actively engages with all blocs while committing to none. Modi has framed this as “strategic autonomy,” but it is arguably more ambitious — an effort to shape multipolarity rather than merely survive it.

Being greeted across fault lines is not about personal popularity. It is about structural relevance — a recognition that global architecture cannot be redrawn without India at the table.

The risks ahead

However, personal diplomacy has limits — and risks. It is leader-contingent, not institutionally embedded. Trust can fade quickly if political winds shift in partner countries. Overreliance on personal rapport can also dilute India’s bargaining posture; friends expect concessions, not hard negotiations.

Moreover, India’s domestic political image — marked by polarised debates on democracy and rights — sometimes shadows its external image. Western governments often firewall strategic cooperation from political concerns, but civil society and legislatures do not. If India’s internal politics become a persistent global controversy, personal goodwill may not suffice to protect India’s brand.

“The real challenge is to convert personal friendships into structural advantages — trade access, tech transfers, and UN reforms.”

Finally, there is the challenge of conversion: turning personal friendships into structural advantages. India needs more trade access, technology transfers, and UN reforms — outcomes that require institutional coalitions, not just birthday greetings.

Beyond symbolism: what Modi must do next

Modi at 75 stands as a symbol of India’s ascent — visible, courted, and trusted. But visibility is not victory. The next phase demands institutionalising India’s global role beyond his persona:

• Deepening economic integration through comprehensive trade deals.
• Reforming foreign service capacity to sustain ties beyond individual leaders.
• Investing in global governance agendas — from AI regulation to climate financing — where India can anchor coalitions.
• Balancing strategic autonomy with strategic commitments where India must decisively take sides, especially on Indo-Pacific security.

“Friendship may open doors, but only policy can keep them open.”

As Modi enters his 76th year, the world sees him as a friend. India must ensure it is seen as indispensable — regardless of who leads it.