Abstract:

In the context of growing fragmentation in the global cyber order and intensifying competition over international digital norms, nations in the Global South seek autonomy in a landscape dominated by major technological powers. Among these actors, India stands out for its hybrid diplomatic strategy, carefully avoiding full alignment with either Western liberal frameworks or authoritarian digital governance models. This article explores India's digital diplomacy as an emblematic case of "digital neo-nonalignment"—a strategic posture aimed at safeguarding infrastructural sovereignty, regulatory autonomy, and normative influence in the global AI governance. Through analysis of strategic initiatives such as Digital India, IndiaAI, and the Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA), the study examines India's distinctive path, highlighting implications for the emerging normative architecture of the AI and digital governance globally.

Keywords:
Cyberdiplomacy, Digital non-alignment, Global norms, Digital India, India, Strategic autonomy, AI governance, Digital sovereignty, Global South, DEPA

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CITE THIS PAPER AS:
Daria-Elena POPESCU, "Cyberdiplomacy and the New Digital Non-Alignment in the Global South: India as a Case Study of Technological Sovereignty in the Age of AI", International Journal of Cyber Diplomacy, ISSN 2668-8662, vol. 6, pp. 39-59, 2025. https://doi.org/10.54852/ijcd.v6y202503