Indian foreign policy

2nd semester

Notes
Discuss the
evolution of India's
foreign policy in
contemporary
times.
Non-Aligned Movement for Strategic Partnership

• India's foreign policy was initially rooted in the

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which sought to
maintain equal distance from both the Western
and Eastern blocs during the Cold War.
• However, since the early 1990s, India has moved
towards building strategic partnerships with
major powers such as the United States, Russia,
and more recently, Japan and Australia.
• These partnerships aim to promote India's
economic growth, technological advancement
and security interests.
Economic Diplomacy

• With Economic Liberalization In The

Early 1990s, Economic Diplomacy Has
Become A Cornerstone Of India's
Foreign Policy.
• India Is Actively Seeking Foreign
Investment, Entering Into Free Trade
Agreements And Engaged In
Economic Dialogue With Major
Trading Partners.
Act East Policy

• Under The Act East Policy, India Has

Sought To Deepen Its Engagement With
Southeast Asia And East Asia.
• This Policy Shift Reflects India's Growing
Strategic And Economic Interests In The
Asia-pacific Region. India Has Been
Active In Enhancing Trade Ties,
Participating In Regional Forums Such
As ASEAN, And Strengthening Defense
And Security Cooperation With
Countries Such As Vietnam, Japan And
Indonesia.
Neighborhood First Policy

• Despite Its Global Ambitions, India Continues To

Give Priority To Its Immediate Neighborhood Under
The 'Neighbourhood First' Policy.
• India Has Sought To Strengthen Ties With Its
Neighbors Through Development Assistance,
Connectivity Projects And People-to-people
Exchanges.
• However, The Neighborhood Presents Both
Opportunities And Challenges, With Issues Such As
Cross-border Terrorism, Water-sharing Disputes
And Geopolitical Competition Complicating India's
Relations With Countries Such As Pakistan, China
And Nepal.
Multi-alignment and multi-polarity

• India's foreign policy in contemporary times

can be characterized by its multi-aligned and
multi-polar approach.
• India wants to diversify its partnerships and
engage with many countries on the basis of
common interests and mutual respect.
• This approach allows India to deal with the
complexities of a multipolar world, where
power is increasingly decentralized and
traditional alliances are undergoing change.
Challenges And Obstacles

Although India's foreign

policy has evolved to reflect
its changing global stature
and priorities, it also faces
many challenges and
constraints.
Regional instability: India's
immediate neighborhood
faces political instability,
conflict and security
challenges, which pose a
threat to its security and
economic interests.
Economic Constraints: Despite its
economic growth, India faces
constraints in terms of
infrastructure, technological
capabilities and human resources,
which limit its ability to fully leverage
its economic potential in foreign
policy.
Discuss the role of
India in the
Non-Aligned
Movement during
the Cold War.
• India played an important role in the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) during
the Cold War.
• The Non-Aligned Movement was a
group of states that did not formally
align with or against any major power
bloc during the Cold War, primarily
the United States and its allies (the
Western Bloc) and the Soviet Union
and its allies. (Eastern Block).
• Founding Member: India was one
of the founding members of the
Non-Aligned Movement.
• Along with other leaders such as
Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia,
Sukarno of Indonesia and Gamal
Abdel Nasser of Egypt, India
played an important role in
shaping the objectives and
principles of the movement.
• India advocated nuclear disarmament and peaceful
resolution of conflicts through dialogue.
• Promotion of peace and
disarmament: India actively
promoted peace and
disarmament initiatives
within the Non-Aligned
Movement.
• Opposition to colonialism and
imperialism: India strongly opposed
colonialism, imperialism and racial
discrimination within the Non-Aligned
Movement.
• India supported the decolonization
efforts of many African and Asian
countries and played a key role in the
Bandung Conference in 1955, which laid
the foundation of the Non-Aligned
Movement.
• Balance: India maintained a delicate
balance during the Cold War,
maintaining friendly relations with
both the Western and Eastern blocs
while emphasizing its non-aligned
stance.
• India sought to maintain its strategic
autonomy and independence by
avoiding entanglement in Cold War
rivalries.
• South-South Cooperation: India
promoted South-South
cooperation and solidarity among
developing countries within the
Non-Aligned Movement.

• India provided developmental

assistance and technical
cooperation to other developing
countries, particularly in Africa
and Asia, to support their
socioeconomic development.
Discuss India-US
strategic
relations.
• Strategic relations between
India and the United States
have evolved significantly
over the past few decades
• Geopolitics Both India and the US see
each other as important partners in
maintaining a free, open and
inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
• The "Quad" – a strategic forum
comprising the US, India, Japan and
Australia – has emerged as an
important platform for cooperation
on issues such as maritime security,
counter-terrorism and freedom of
navigation.
Defense and Security Cooperation:
Defense relations between India and
the US have deepened, with the US
becoming one of India's major defense
suppliers.

• Both countries engage in joint

military exercises, intelligence
sharing and defense technology
cooperation.
• America has also supported India's
claim for a permanent seat in the
United Nations Security Council.
Economic Partnership: Economic
relations between India and the US have
grown significantly, with bilateral trade
reaching billions of dollars.

• Both countries are working towards

enhancing trade and investment
opportunities through dialogues such
as trade policy forums and commercial
dialogues.
People-to-people ties: Cultural
exchanges, educational
cooperation and the Indian diaspora
in the US have played an important
role in strengthening relations
between the two countries.

• The large and influential

Indian-American community has
been a bridge promoting
understanding and cooperation
between India and the US at
various levels.
Strategic convergence on regional
issues: India and the US share
concerns about regional stability and
security threats emanating from
terrorism, extremism and non-state
actors.

• Both countries have collaborated

closely on counter-terrorism
efforts, intelligence sharing and
capacity building to address these
challenges.
• Climate Change and Environment
Cooperation: With the increasing
global focus on climate change, India
and the US are engaging in discussion
and cooperation on clean energy,
sustainable development and
environmental protection.
• The US-India Climate and Clean
Energy Agenda 2030 partnership is a
key initiative that aims to accelerate
climate action and promote green
technologies.
• Despite these areas of
cooperation, the India-US
strategic relationship also faces
challenges and complexities.

• Issues such as India's relations

with Russia, Iran and its
nonaligned policy remain
sources of differences.
Critically analyze
India-China relations
with special reference
to the increasing
confrontation in
recent years.
India-China relations
have seen a mix of
cooperation and
confrontation over the
years, but tensions
and confrontations
have increased
significantly in recent
years.
• Territorial disputes: One of the most significant
sources of tension between India and China are
their unresolved territorial disputes, especially
over the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh and
Ladakh.
• Despite several rounds of talks and
confidence-building measures, the two
countries have failed to reach a mutually
acceptable solution, leading to occasional
standoffs and clashes along the Line of Actual
Control (LAC).
• Strategic Rivalry: As both India and
China are emerging as major regional
powers with global ambitions, their
strategic interests often intersect and
sometimes even collide.
• India's growing strategic partnership
with the United States and its
participation in the Quad (Quadrilateral
Security Dialogue) has been viewed with
suspicion by China, which sees it as an
attempt to curb its rise in the
Indo-Pacific region.
• Economic Competition: While trade
and economic cooperation have
been important aspects of
India-China relations, economic
competition is also increasing,
particularly in areas such as
technology, infrastructure and
influence in regional trade
networks.

• Trade imbalance, China exports

more to India than it imports, has
been a subject of controversy
• These ideological differences contribute to mutual
suspicion and m
• Ideological differences: India's
democratic system and its
emphasis on pluralism and rule of
law contrasts sharply with China's
one-party authoritarian system
and its emphasis on state control
and censorship.
• Nationalism and Public Perception:
• Nationalism and public sentiment play an
important role in shaping India-China
relations.
• Incidents such as border skirmishes or trade
disputes often inflame nationalist sentiments
on both sides, making it difficult for leaders to
adopt a conciliatory approach.
• Media narratives in both countries also
highlight confrontation and downplay
cooperation, further exacerbating tensions.
Global Ambitions and Power
Dynamics:

As both countries aspire to

greater global influence, their
competition for resources,
markets, and strategic
advantages intensifies.
Cross-border terrorism
from Pakistan is a major
challenge in
India-Pakistan
relations. to discuss.
HISTORICAL
CONTEXT
The roots of cross-border
terrorism can be traced to the
partition of British India in 1947
and the subsequent territorial
disputes, particularly in the
region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Over the years, Pakistan's
intelligence agencies,
especially the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI), have been
accused of providing training,
funding and military support
to various terrorist groups
operating against India.
These groups include
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET),
Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JEM) and Hizbul
Mujahideen, among
others.
STRATEGIC
IDEAS
• For Pakistan, supporting these terrorist
groups serves several strategic
objectives.
• This allows Pakistan to keep the Kashmir
issue alive on the international stage,
giving it diplomatic leverage.
• Additionally, it serves as a low-cost
asymmetric warfare strategy against a
larger and traditionally stronger
opponent.
 IMPACT ON
INDIA-PAKISTAN
RELATIONS
• Trust deficit: Frequent
cross-border terrorist attacks have
eroded trust between India and
Pakistan, making any meaningful
dialogue and conflict resolution
extremely challenging.
Diplomatic isolation:
Pakistan's alleged support for
terrorism has often led to its
diplomatic isolation, with
India and other countries
calling on Pakistan to take
decisive action against
terrorist organizations
operating from its soil.
Escalation Risks: High-profile
terrorist attacks, such as the
2008 Mumbai attacks by
Lashkar-e-Taiba, have the
potential to escalate tensions
and trigger a military
response, posing a persistent
threat to regional stability.
With changing
times, there has
been a big change
in India-Russia
relations.
• India-Russia relations have a rich
history dating back to the Cold
War era and have evolved
significantly over time.
• Relations between India and
Russia are characterized by
mutual trust, cooperation and
strategic partnership.
• Historical background: During
the Cold War, India was one of
the major non-aligned
countries, and Russia (then the
Soviet Union) was a major ally of
the Soviet bloc.
• The Soviet Union supported India
at various international forums
and provided significant
military and economic
assistance.
• Strategic Partnership: After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union in
1991, India and Russia maintained
their strategic partnership and
continued to cooperate in areas
such as defence, space exploration
and nuclear energy.

• The annual India-Russia bilateral

summit is an important event
where leaders of both countries
discuss and strengthen their
bilateral relations.
• Defense and Military Cooperation:
Russia remains one of the largest
suppliers of defense equipment to
India, and there are several joint
defense projects and military
exercises between the two
countries.

• India and Russia have also

collaborated on the development
and production of advanced
military hardware, including the
BrahMos supersonic cruise
missile.
• There is scope for cooperation in sectors like energy,
• Economic Cooperation: Despite strong
pharmaceuticals, information technology and agriculture.
political and strategic ties, economic
relations between India and Russia
have not reached their full potential.
• However, both countries are working to
increase bilateral trade and
investment.
• Regional and global issues: India
and Russia closely coordinate their
positions on various regional and
global issues, including terrorism,
Afghanistan and UN Security
Council reforms.
• Both countries are members of
many international forums and
organizations where they work
together to promote mutual
interests and address common
challenges.
Evaluate India's role
as an emerging
power in the current
multipolar world.
Economic Superpower:

Growth and Potential: India is one of the

fastest growing major economies in the
world. With a large and young workforce, it
has the potential to maintain high growth
rates for years to come.

Trade and Investment: India is an attractive

destination for foreign investment. It is
building closer economic ties with different
countries and regions, expanding its trade
relations and diversifying its export markets.
Strategic Importance:

• Geopolitical position: Located at the

intersection of South Asia, Central
Asia and the Indian Ocean region,
India holds a strategic position that
makes it vital to global trade routes
and geopolitical stability.
• Nuclear Energy: As a nuclear-armed
nation, India plays a vital role in
regional and global security
dynamics.
• Soft Power: India's rich cultural
heritage, Bollywood, cuisine and
contributions in fields like
science, technology and
spirituality enhance its soft
power globally.

• The Indian diaspora, which is

extensive and influential, also
contributes to demonstrating
India's influence around the
world.
• Diplomatic influence: India is
actively expanding its diplomatic
reach, building partnerships with
both traditional allies and
emerging powers.

• Its participation in forums such as

BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China,
South Africa) and the G20 reflects
its aspirations for a more
prominent role in global
governance.
• Challenges and Constraints:
Despite emerging as a global
player, India faces many
challenges such as poverty,
inequality, lack of infrastructure
and regional tensions especially
with Pakistan and China.
• These internal and external
challenges could potentially hinder
its rise to a dominant global
position.
• Multilateral Engagement:
India actively participates
in multilateral institutions
such as the United
Nations,

• It has also been involved

in initiatives such as the
International Solar
Alliance to address global
challenges such as
climate change.
Describe the trade
prospects between
India and the European
Union. Explain with
suitable examples
• Bilateral trade volume: There
is a substantial amount of
trade between India and the
European Union.
• The EU is one of India's largest
trading partners and India is
one of the EU's top trading
partners.
• Bilateral trade has been
growing steadily in recent
years.
• For example, Indian pharmaceutical companies export a
• large
Majorportion of Trade
Sectors: their generic
betweendrugs
Indiato the EU, while the EU
exports
and theautomobiles and machinery
EU spans various sectors to India.
including automobiles,
pharmaceuticals, information
technology, textiles and agriculture.
• Similarly, Indian companies are investing in Europe,
• Investment flows: Apart from trade,
especially in sectors such as IT services and manufacturing.
there are considerable investment
flows between India and the EU.
European companies invest in India
in various sectors such as
automotive, renewable energy and
technology services.
• If successfully negotiated, the FTA could significantly boost
trade between
• Negotiating the two.
trade
agreements: India and the EU
have been negotiating a
comprehensive free trade
agreement (FTA) since 2007,
however, progress has been
slow due to differences on
issues.
• Potential for cooperation: Both India
and the EU recognize the importance
of strengthening their economic ties.
• Some initiatives have been taken
with the aim of enhancing
cooperation, such as the India-EU
High-level Dialogue on Trade and
Investment, which provides a
platform to discuss trade-related
issues and explore opportunities for
cooperation.
Critically
examine
India's role in
G20
• Emerging economy
representation: India, as one of
the world's largest emerging
economies, brings a unique
perspective to the G20.
• Its presence ensures that the
interests and concerns of
developing countries are not
ignored in discussions
dominated by advanced
economies.
• Its experiences with economic reforms, infrastructure
• development
Global Growth and
andpoverty alleviation provide valuable
Development:
insights for shaping
India's rapid G20growth
economic policies.
and
large population make it a major
player in discussions related to
global growth and development.
 It advocates
•• Bridging issues such as sustainable development,
the North-South
climateIndia
divide: change and
often equitable
acts as a trade practices, promoting
dialogue
bridge and cooperation
between developedamong diverse member countries.
and developing countries
within the G20.
• Geopolitical dynamics: India's
growing geopolitical influence
adds another dimension to its
role in the G20.
• As tensions rise between major
powers like the US, China and
Russia, India's stance on
various global issues could
impact diplomatic relations
and shape the agenda of the
G20.
• It emphasizes greater representation and voice for
developing
• Policy countries,
Advocacy: Indiawith the goal of making these
advocates
institutions
reforms morefinancial
of global inclusive and responsive to the needs of
emerging economies.
institutions such as the IMF and the
World Bank to better reflect the
changing economic landscape.
• Its efforts to promote renewable energy and reduce
Energy and Climate
• environmental Change:contribute to shaping global
degradation
India's energy
initiatives needs
in these and its
areas.
commitment to sustainable
development make it a key player
in discussions on energy security
and climate change within the G20.
• Bilateral and regional
interests: India often pursues
its bilateral and regional
interests along with its
participation in the G20.
• Conflicting priorities between
its domestic agenda and
global commitments can
sometimes undermine its
effectiveness in building
consensus within the group.