India aims to establish itself as an important international power centre and to impose itself as a regional leader, benefiting from economic growth rates which continue to achieve levels that are unimaginable for western democracies, even during the global financial crisis. However, alongside Indian ambitions elements of criticality can be observed, such as the internal divisions of Indian society, which frequently erupt into violence, or India’s definite susceptibility to local and international terrorism. The Indian “power policy” is pursued both in the country’s relationship with the United States and with its Asian neighbours, and is clearly shown by the strong naval development which Delhi has promoted in order to support its hegemonic designs on the Indian Ocean.