How Modi’s 3-nation visit is recalibrating India’s global posture

On a warm evening in Amman, Jordan, as security convoys waited at a respectful distance, an unscripted moment quietly cut through layers of diplomatic formality. Jordan’s Crown Prince, a 42nd-generation direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), personally took the wheel and drove Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Jordan Museum, and later to the airport to bid him farewell. In a world where diplomacy is often defined by scripts and symbolism, this was something rarer: trust expressed through personal warmth.

That moment offers a telling entry point into Prime Minister Modi’s recent three-nation tour of Jordan, Oman and Ethiopia. This was not a journey measured by the number of meetings held or statements issued. It was about recalibrating India’s global posture signalling that New Delhi is no longer merely navigating the international order, but actively shaping how it wishes to be perceived, engaged with, and relied upon.

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At a time when the Global South is asserting itself with renewed confidence, India is crafting a diplomatic language that is strategic without being strident, values-driven without being ideological, and inclusive without being transactional.

Jordan offered the clearest articulation of this approach. King Abdullah II did more than extend ceremonial hospitality. At the India–Jordan Business Forum, he delivered a robust endorsement of India’s economic rise. Praising the leadership, the King pointed to India’s sustained growth trajectory, now one of the world’s fastest-growing major economy, and outlined a compelling vision of partnership.

His proposal was ambitious: leveraging Jordan’s strategic location and free trade agreements alongside India’s economic scale and industrial capabilities to build an economic corridor linking South Asia with the Middle East, Africa and Europe. 

Bilateral trade between India and Jordan currently stands at around $2.8 billion, with India among Jordan’s top trading partners. Modi’s proposal to double this figure to $5 billion over the next five years signals a deliberate push to unlock unrealised potential.

The agreements finalised during the visit reinforce that intent. Cooperation was expanded across renewable energy, water management - a critical area for one of the world’s most water-scarce nations - digital public infrastructure, and culture. 

In Oman, symbolism gave way to structural transformation. Modi was received by Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs and brother of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. It was a gesture that reflected the strategic weight Muscat attaches to its relationship with Delhi. The conferment of the Order of Oman (First Class) on Modi placed him alongside global leaders such as Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela who have previously received this honour. It was Modi’s 29th international decoration, and, notably, meant that five of the six GCC nations have now conferred their highest civilian or equivalent top state honour on him 

Yet the true significance of the Oman visit lay in the historic Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa). This was only Oman’s second such agreement in nearly 20 years, the previous one being with the United States; a telling indicator of the confidence Muscat places in India as a long-term economic partner.

The numbers too, are striking. The Cepa grants zero-duty access on over 98 per cent of Oman’s tariff lines, covering almost all Indian exports. Key sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and automobiles are set to benefit, while sensitive areas remain protected to safeguard farmers and small businesses. The agreement also deepens services trade, enhances mobility for skilled professionals, and permits 100 per cent foreign direct investment in major services sectors opening high-value opportunities for Indian companies, MSMEs, artisans and women-led enterprises.

Bilateral trade between India and Oman already exceeds $12 billion annually, and India is among Oman’s top trading partners. With Cepa in place, that figure is expected to rise sharply, reinforcing Oman’s role as a gateway to the Gulf and Africa, and India’s role as a dependable economic anchor.

In Addis Ababa, the tour took on a broader philosophical register. Addressing Ethiopian parliamentarians, Modi framed India–Ethiopia ties and vision as of a world where development is fair, technology accessible and sovereignty respected. The two sides signed agreements including cooperation in education and counterterrorism, and the establishment of a data centre at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underscoring India’s growing role in digital and security partnerships. 

Modi was conferred Ethiopia’s highest civilian honour, the Great Honor Nishan Ethiopia, the first foreign head of state to receive it.

Modi’s three-nation tour signals an India comfortable acting as a bridge-builder between East and West, North and South without being boxed into rigid alliances. It reflects a country confident enough to pursue strategic autonomy while offering partnership, stability and scale.

The author is a writer at Milaybami.