Modi’s machismo misfires

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long fashioned himself as a ‘decisive strongman’, adept at harnessing nationalist fervour to consolidate political power. Central to this persona is his counterterrorism doctrine—an iron-fisted response to any attack allegedly stemming from Pakistani soil. But India’s latest military standoff with Pakistan has punctured the illusion of strategic dominance that Modi has so carefully cultivated. The outcome: A blend of diplomatic embarrassment, domestic disillusionment, and regional alienation.

The recent hostilities between India and Pakistan escalated more dangerously than any confrontation in the last five decades. What began as retaliatory air strikes quickly snowballed into a full-blown cross-border military engagement, pulling both nuclear-armed nations into a perilous spiral. National media in India, often echoing state narratives, flooded airwaves with hyperbolic claims—one even falsely reporting the destruction of Karachi’s port and capturing of Islamabad. For four days, the Indian public was fed a heady cocktail of triumphalism and disinformation.

However, the drama came to an abrupt end not at the hands of Indian diplomacy or military might, but via a ceasefire announced unceremoniously by former US President Donald Trump on Truth Social. Modi’s silence on Trump’s role—and his refusal to acknowledge the ceasefire mediation—was a clear indication of how bruising the episode was for India’s global image and Modi’s domestic strongman image. Pakistan, by contrast, openly welcomed the American intervention.

The backlash was swift and fierce. Modi’s core supporters, having been conditioned to expect a resounding military victory, felt betrayed. Social media turned into a battleground of its own, with top Indian officials facing vicious personal attacks from their own political base. The foreign secretary was even forced to privatize his social media account after being doxed by enraged nationalists.

What exacerbated the situation further was Modi’s reaction. Instead of calming the waters, he went on air to claim that India had forced Pakistan to its knees—a declaration at odds with the ceasefire terms and battlefield realities, including the downing of Indian jets and the parity Pakistan displayed in drone and missile capabilities. The follow-up speeches were no less belligerent, suggesting the conflict hadn’t ended but merely paused.

This bluster may have temporarily rallied segments of his base, but it alienated regional neighbours and raised eyebrows internationally. South Asian countries remained conspicuously silent, wary of Modi’s increasingly belligerent posture. In damage-control mode, New Delhi took the unusual step of dispatching bipartisan delegations abroad to sell its version of events—an implicit admission that the government’s narrative had failed to hold.

The unveiling of a revised counterterrorism doctrine—declaring any cross-border attack an “act of war”—was clearly intended as a show of resolve. But the timing, just hours before the ceasefire took effect, only underscored the performative nature of Modi’s security strategy. Far from deterring future conflict, such rhetoric may actually lock both India and Pakistan into a volatile pattern of tit-for-tat escalation.

Modi’s broader strategy—using foreign policy and military action as props for domestic political theatre—is showing signs of fatigue. What once secured electoral triumphs, like the ‘2019 Balakot airstrike’, now appears to be backfiring. This time, there was no triumphant resolution, only an uneasy ceasefire and the spectacle of a foreign leader hijacking the narrative.

In the process, India’s international standing has taken a hit. Once celebrated as a responsible democratic power in a turbulent region, India now appears more like a reactive state obsessed with muscle-flexing and less committed to upholding the values it once championed. Modi’s embrace of muscular nationalism and authoritarian overtones has eroded India’s credibility on the global stage and fuelled concerns about his judgment in moments of crisis.

The latest conflict may be over, but the damage—to India’s image, its strategic doctrine, and the very idea of restrained leadership—is far from healed. Modi’s gamble to stage a grand redemption in the eyes of both his citizens and the world has turned into a cautionary tale: one where ego, misinformation, and unchecked nationalism nearly ignited a disaster with far-reaching consequences.

India, under Modi, may be trying to project strength—but it is increasingly looking like a nation adrift, more interested in optics than outcomes.