India's Foreign Policy

The government has taken a bold, and assertive foreign policy, overcoming the hesitations of history. For instance, after peace initiatives with Pakistan failed, the Government of India took a firm stand against terrorism. This has resulted in the following benefits:

• Even though close relations with the other neighbours did not materialize, the government’s helpful attitude managed all situations and has averted any crisis.
• There is a new synergy in India-U.S. relations.
• The government is also engaging with China continuously to build strong bilateral relations.
• India’s relations with Israel and the Arab countries have now become productive.

India’s Strategic Culture

Strategic Culture is an attempt to integrate the influence of countries, culture, cumulative historical memory and their influences on shaping security and foreign policy. According to KANTI BAJPAI, ‘ strategic culture’ consists of two parts. The first is the ‘central strategic paradigm'(that is the basic assumptions about orderliness in the world). The second part is the grand strategy that follow.

The sources of the strategic culture of a nation state are its history, geography, national culture, politics etc. Therefore, states may have different strategic culture pertaining to the differences in these factors.

One of the earliest existence of strategic thinking in India can be found in Kautilya’s Arthashastra, an ancient treatise on statecraft.

Dr S. Jaishankar in his book, “The India Way”, in the chapter “Krishna’s choice: The strategic culture of a rising power”, talks about the rich strategic culture of India with reference to Mahabharata. Unlike Arthashatra, which has a clinical approach to statecraft, he finds Mahabharat as a vivid distillation of India’s statecraft. Mahabharat talks about tactical compromises, Balance of Power, diplomacy, alliances. Mahabharat is a tale of ethics as well as power.

Determinants of foreign policy

Foreign policy is a combination of principles, interests and objectives through which a country formulates and conducts its relations in the international affairs. A country’s foreign policy does not emerge from a vacuum; it is guided and shaped by country’s history, culture, the political system and various other factors.

No country’s foreign policy can be immune from the influence of the dynamics within i.e., the nature of governing system, the political culture including the policies of political parties, public opinion, etc. tradition, structure of government and enlightened leadership.

The influence of domestic politics on India’s foreign policy:

• One of the factors for adopting the Non-Alignment as a foreign policy was to gain the domestic consensus as India had both the left and the right.
• India and US Civil Nuclear Treaty 2005 was meant allow India a waiver without signing the NPT, in exchange of allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct inspections of its civilian nuclear facilities. Despite it being a win-win situation for India, the Indian government was reluctant to proceed because of the coalition pressures.
• India’s decision to vote against Sri Lanka in UNHRC.
• Indian’s decision to impose informal blockade on Nepal.
• India could not enter into Teesta Agreement with Bangladesh.
• It is often said that India’s Middle East Policy has been shaped by the domestic determinant.

Domestic politics influences foreign policy decisions and if a policy is not accepted at home it unlikely to succeed in the international context. Thus, Foreign Policy analysis needs to be multilevel and multifaceted in order to understand the complicated motivational factors and nature of foreign policy.

Geographical factors as the determinant of Foreign Policy:

India’s size and location have played a vital role in shaping its foreign policy. On its north India’s relations with Pakistan and China go beyond the bilateral dimension and has implications on wider regions. India has 7500 KM of coastline touched by waters of Indian ocean on three sides of its territory. Most of India’s foreign trade is routed through Indian ocean. India’s geography has three principle foreign policy challenge:

• Determinable borders as South Asia was a single entity but the partition of the sub-continent and the emergence of nation states have created amorphous unsettled borders.
• India is boxed in by unfriendly neighbours which limits its reach and influence.
• Asymmetry in size and power has given rise to huge trust deficit with the neighbours.

Role of Leadership as the determinant of Foreign Policy:

The head of government in any kind of political system is motivated by two similar goals: retain political power and build and maintain policy coalitions. The domestic politics can also influence him either because he wants to achieve domestic goals through foreign policies or he wants his foreign policy decisions to further his domestic agendas.

• PM Nehru was also the first foreign minister and his grand liberal idea is reflected in India’s foreign policy decisions like reaching out to UN on Kashmir issue, leading the third world countries through NAM, recognizing China as well as supporting its permanent candidature of UNSC.
• India’s decision to intervene in Bangladesh liberation and countering Pakistan amidst visible resistance from USA was reflective of Mrs Gandhi’s strong outlook.
• Gujral’s doctrine and Manmohan Doctrine project a liberal picture.
• PM Modi has himself become India’s ambassador selling brand India inviting investment. He is perceived as a strong leader who would not rethink the strategy of going beyond the set ‘dogmas’. For the first time, soft power is being used strategically, focus is on diaspora.

Though leadership matters a lot, but institutions should not be undermined.

History and culture as the determinant of Foreign Policy:

Legacy of an ancient civilization & cultural and philosophical tradition has helped the evolution of India’s world view in the post-independence era, evident from policy concepts like:

• Panchsheel
• Kautilya’s Mandal Siddhanta
• Vasudev Kutumbakam
• Dharmasastra

It is from our history and culture only, that India’s policy makers have borrowed the elements of tolerance, preference for the middle way, nonviolence and universal brother & peace. Experts believe that, while Nehru’s foreign policies were inspired by Buddhism and Ashoka, Modi’s foreign policies are inspired from Kautilya and Chandra Gupta Maurya.

Ambassador K.S. Murthy notices that ancient Hindu foreign policy was one of isolationism. Hindu thinkers expressly forbade aggressive wars on other cultures and on states outside India. This is reflected in contemporary India’s constitutional values wherein Article 51 talks about promotion of international peace and security. At the same time the Preamble declares India as a ‘Sovereign’ country with right to territorial integrity.

Social structure as the determinant of Foreign Policy:

India, being a heterogeneous and pluralistic society has taken an inclusive course. Same is seen in our middle ground approach to international affairs like Non-Alignment. Having experienced and suffered due to class inequalities, India supports development over trade like in Doha Round. Indian society is still majorly patriarchal, thus the policy is still not very feminist at its core, much like other south Asian nations.

Indian Foreign Policy Evolution

According to Dr.Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Indian foreign policy has evolved in six broad phases:

First phase (1946-62)

• It could be characterized as an era of optimistic non-alignment. Its setting was very much of a bipolar world, with camps led by the United States and the USSR.
• India’s objectives were to resist the constraining of its choices and dilution of its sovereignty as it rebuilt its economy and consolidated its integrity.
• Its parallel goal, as the first of the decolonized nations, was to lead Asia and Africa in a quest for a more equitable world order.
• It also saw energetic Indian diplomacy from Korea and Vietnam to the Suez and Hungary.
• However, the 1962 conflict with China not only brought this period to an end, but in a manner that significantly damaged India’s standing.

Second phase (1962-71)

• It is a decade of realism and recovery. India made pragmatic choices on security and political challenges despite a paucity of resources.
• It looked beyond non-alignment in the interest of national security, concluding a now largely forgotten defence agreement with the U.S. in 1964.
• External pressures on Kashmir mounted in this period of vulnerability.
• The global context remained bipolar, but it now saw the emergence of limited cooperation between the US and USSR.
• South Asia happened to be a particular area of convergence and Indian diplomacy had to face the superpowers together, as it did in Tashkent in 1965.
• It was also a period when domestic challenges were particularly acute, ranging from political turbulence to economic distress.

Third phase (1971 to 1991)

• It was one of greater Indian regional assertion. It started with the decisive dismantlement of an India-Pakistan equivalence through creation of Bangladesh, but ended with the IPKF misadventure in Sri Lanka.
• The larger environment by now was dramatically different, with the Sino-US rapprochement of 1971 upending the strategic landscape.
• The Indo-Soviet Treaty and the adoption of more pro-Soviet positions on international issues were India’s response to this challenge.
• It was a particularly complex phase as the US-China-Pakistan axis which came into being at this time seriously threatened India’s prospects.
• The collapse of USSR, its close ally, and the not unconnected economic crisis in 1991 compelled us to look again at the first principles of both domestic and foreign policy.

Fourth Phase (1991-2001)

• The dissolution of the USSR and the emergence of a “unipolar” world characterized the fourth phase.
• It encouraged a radical rethink in India on a broad range of issues. And it shifted focus to safeguarding strategic autonomy. If India opened up economically more to the world, its reflection was also evident in new diplomatic priorities and approaches.
• The Look East policy summarized the changed Indian approach to world affairs, which also saw adjustments in its position on Israel.
• This is a period where India reached out to engage the US more intensively, yet did so while protecting its equities in critical areas.
• This quest for strategic autonomy was particularly focused on securing its nuclear weapon option, but also visible in trade negotiations.
• By the turn of the century, enough had happened for India to now shift gear again and move to a higher level.
• After 1998, it was now a declared nuclear weapon power, had fended off Pakistan’s military adventurism again in Kargil in 1999, generated enough economic growth to be of global interest, and managed well a United States that was focusing more on developments in Asia and the consequences of Islamic fundamentalism.

Fifth phase (2001-2014)

• This more competitive environment opened up new windows of opportunity for India, especially as the United States found it difficult to maintain the same degree of unipolarity.
• As a consequence, India discovered the benefits of working with different powers on different issues.
• This fifth phase is one where India gradually acquired the attributes of a balancing power. It is reflected in the India-US nuclear deal as well as a better understanding with the West at large.
• At the same time, India could also make common cause with China and Russia on issues like trade and climate change.
• A major source of concern was the effect of radicalization in the region that flowed from the U.S. interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sixth phase (2014 onwards)

• It has a more aspirational India, one that is conscious of the fact that it is the fifth largest economy in the world, and the fifth largest military spender.
• Today, a much more confident India is a leading power that seeks to shoulder greater responsibilities, and with a growing willingness to shape key global outcomes.
• A large part of the current phase is also to enhance India’s global standing and influence in the way its larger interests are determined and expressed.
• This is particularly significant as rebalancing unfolds, reflecting the redistribution of power.

India’s foreign policy has always had an underlying civilizational consciousness. Its early years were defined by the burden of its immediate colonial history. Overcoming that hesitancy has been a painstaking exercise, one that is still ongoing.

Importance of South Asia in India’s foreign policy:

India shares borders with seven countries and occupies a prominent position in South Asia due to its geographical and economic size. Indian has 15000 KM of borders of which 14916 KM is shared with its neighbours. While India is developing a “Neighbourhood First policy”, as far as geography is concerned India has the potential of becoming the center of gravity of the region.

• According to Madhav Godbole, India’s foreign policy in the region has always been driven by two forces, i.e., India’s security and its political and economic stability.
• India being a multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-religious nation and South Asia being divided on the similar line, India has to be cautious that any external influence does not have its domestic ramifications. For example, both Punjab and Kashmir militancy have cross border linkages.
• In terms of economy, despite its own economic problems, India has given economic assistance to the neighboring countries, e.g., India extended credit lines of $ 1 billion to Nepal, $ 500 million to Bangladesh and $ 200 million to Sri Lanka. India is the 4th largest trading partner of Sri Lanka, 5th for Nepal and 6th for Bangladesh. India provides transit to Nepal and Bhutan.

Relevance of India in South Asia’s geography:

• The Himalayas act as a natural barrier and protect India from the north but remain the main source of the dispute with China. The topographical features and lack of proper boundary in eastern India lead to issues of Illegal migration and Infiltration.
• The western frontier is disputed with Pakistan; the border areas suffer from frequent infiltration attempts and related military conflicts.
• In the South, India holds a geographically central position. It has over 7500 Km of coastline and a huge Exclusive Economic Zone of 2.4 million Sq. Km. However, this maritime zone is susceptible to piracy, illegal activities and territorial disputes (e.g., Sir creek).

India’s geography presents both challenges and opportunities. It has created India’s interest in developing an effective security architecture, ensuring economic integration, and harnessing its potential.

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Subject: International Relation

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