Contours of India's Foreign Policy

Ever since India achieved independence in 1947, the country has strived diligently to adopt a foreign policy that has been commensurate with its national interests. During the Cold War period, India consciously chose not to align with any major power bloc and instead devoted its energy and time in nation-building and national reconstruction. The end of the Cold War did not create any turbulence in the country's foreign policy orientation. Rather, it made India's leaders look toward real politik to cultivate and strengthen its diplomatic and economic ties with major countries of the world, as well as regional bodies. In the 21st century, India has fine tuned its relations from a position of strength. This book discusses and analyzes the foreign policy objectives of India and its wider ramifications. The theoretical underpinning of foreign policy issues and the connection to an overall national strategy pose a challenge for scholars, policy makers, and foreign policy experts. The book examines the dynamics and complexities of India's foreign policy discourse and its impact regionally, as well as globally.