IR 306 FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY

Brief history of India Foreign Policy After India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, it soon joined the Commonwealth of Nations and strongly supported independence movements in other colonies, like the Indonesian National Revolution.  During the Cold War, India adopted a foreign policy of not aligning itself with any major power bloc. However, India developed close ties with the Soviet Union and received extensive military support from it. The end of the Cold War significantly affected India's foreign policy. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, India began to review its foreign policy in an unipolar world and took steps to develop closer ties with the European Union and the United States.

Foreign policy of India Most Indians agree that its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had defined a unique foreign policy for India at the very dawn of its independence.. Since the 1990s, though, the challenge for the Indian leaders has been to reinterpret Nehru’s ideas to suit the new political context that had confronted it

Basic Concepts Of Foreign Policy of India 1) Preservation of national interest 2) Achievement of world peace 3) Disarmament have been important objectives of India’s foreign policy. 4) Fostering cordial relations with other countries 5) Solving conflicts by peaceful means 6) Sovereignty and equality of all nations 7) Independence of thought and action as per the principles of Non-align Movement or NAM 9) Equality in conducting international relations

Main Principle of India Foreign Policy (I) Non - Alignment it is integral part of India's foreign policy even after the end of cold war. The vitality of non- alignment can be realized from the fact that it has not only helped in securing friendship and cooperation, promoting world peace. India and NAM countries played a vital role in cold war politics by acting as a third force to reduce the tension. (ii) Opposition to Colonialism and Imperialism: India firmly stands in opposition to any form of colonialism and imperialism. It is with this line of thinking that India played a major role in liberating the newly independent countries of Asia and Africa from colonial shackles.

Main Principle of India Foreign Policy (iii) Supporting U.N. in Achieving World Peace: India is one of the founding members of the UN (1945). She has played a major role in its instrumentality to achieve world peace. She has always advocated that resolution of international disputes be done under the purview of U.N. (iv) Fairness of Means: Inspired by the ideas of Gandhi, India has always emphasized that their means should be used in the resolution in international disputes. She has advocated of peaceful and non-violent methods are opposes war, aggression and power policies. Panchsheel is an outgrowth of this line of thinking. (v) Friendship with other countries: Without being committed to military alliances, India has opted for cultivating friendly relations with other countries. For this purpose she has concluded treaties and bilateral agreements in the fields of politics, economy, culture of science and technology.

Policy Maker Prime Minister’s office; Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, promoted a strong personal role for the Prime Minister. Nehru served concurrently as Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs; he made all major foreign policy decisions himself after consulting with his advisers and then entrusted the conduct of international affairs to senior members of the Indian Foreign Service. He was the main founding fathers of the Panchsheel or the five principles of peaceful co- existence.

What is Panchsheel ? Sanskrit, Pan = five, sheel = virtues India’s desired peaceful and friendly relations with all countries, particularly the big powers and the neighboring nations, while signing an agreement with China, on April 28, 1954, India advocated adherence to five guiding principles known as Panchsheel for the conduct of bilateral relations. It includes the following: 1) Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. 2) Mutual non-aggression. 3) Mutual non- interference in each other’s internal affairs. 4) Equality and mutual benefit. 5) Peaceful co-existence.

Relation with organizations India was one of the founding members of several international organizations, most notably the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, G20 industrial nations and the founder of the Non-aligned movement. India has also played an important and influential role in other international organizations like East Asia Summit, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund (IMF), G8+5 and IBSA Dialogue Forum.

India’s Role in United Nations India foreign policy has been firmly committed to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and has made significant contributions like participating in all peace-keeping operations. India has taken part in 35 of UN peacekeeping operations in four continents. Its most significant contribution has been to peace and stability in Africa and Asia.  Presently India is ranked as the largest troop contributor to U N. India is currently seeking a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Group work Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) Objectives of NAM Does NAM still exist? Is NAM still relevant today since the Cold War is over? What NAM’s India’s Relations with Pakistan today Describe India’s relations with Pakistan List down some of the disputes between India and Pakistan How does this affect India’s foreign policy?

GROUP WORK India’s relations with China Describe India’s relations with China List down some of the disputes between India and China How does this affect India’s foreign policy? India’s relations with the United States today Describe India’s relations with the U.S How is it different during the Cold war?