American Shadow over India–Iran Relations

Irish Studies in International Affairs, 2007

Thanks to the cumulative effects of high economic growth, steady integration with the international market economy, rapid strides in business processing, successful introduction of new technologies of communication and the induction of nuclear weapons and delivery capacity to national defence strategies, the international status of India has altered radically over the past decade. Increasingly, in the domestic political arena, India's leaders see their country as a global player, rather than as a low-income country with poor infrastructure and mass poverty. Suddenly, India is 'everywhere'; but what does it amount to in terms of foreign policy, particularly in terms of the contradictions that underpin it? This article examines the anomalies and missing elements of India's foreign policy, which sometimes create a sense of vagueness and incoherence about her intentions on, and likely reactions to, issues affecting her vital interests. The article illustrates this argument on the basis of an analysis of some core concerns of India's foreign policy, such as nuclearisation, Kashmir, terrorism and India's position in South Asia.

The foreign policy of a country is the sum total of the principles, interests and objectives which it seeks to promote through its relations with other countries. It is also "for influencing and changing the behaviour of other states" and for 'adjusting' its own "activities to the international environment". So, "the conduct and formulation of foreign policy is governed by the interplay of numerous determinants, institutions, processes and personalities". 1 Preservation of national interest, achievement of world peace, disarmament, independence for Afro-Asian nations have been important objectives of India's foreign policy. These objectives are sought to be achieved through some principles viz. Panchsheel, nonalignment, anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, anti-racism and strengthening the UN. Keeping old friendship and looking for new friendships is another challenge for our foreign policy after the cold war has ended. For example, India is interested in strengthening its relations without damaging its relations with Arab countries. Similarly, India's foreign policy is tackling new tasks like deepening economic and security cooperation with the United States, while at the same time opposing unilateral actions against Iraq and Yugoslavia. Finally, India is realizing the growing importance of economic aspects of foreign policy. Hence, it is trying to establish a new basis for its relations with neighbouring countries in South Asia, China and the South East Asian counties.

RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical issues and contemporary developments. The views of the authors are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced electronically or in print with prior permission from RSIS and due recognition to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email: [email protected] for feedback to the Editor RSIS Commentaries, Mr Yang Razali Kassim. Synopsis In light of recent events, especially President Obama's visit to India and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to China, India's foreign policy appears to have undergone a transformative shift since the heyday of Non-Alignment. Is this indeed the case? Commentary PRESIDENT OBAMA'S visit to New Delhi as guest of honour for the Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2015 has been notable beyond its signi...

Asia Policy, 2012

Journal of Political Sciences & Public Affairs, 2018

As a need of an hour which travelled to years, decades and centuries in between nation to nations; kept them in continuous changing mode. But this doesn't mean the basic structure of the foreign policy be scarifies. They were being safeguarded through extent of existence. India being experienced in Diplomatic immunity performed pro to both Bipolar and Unipolar system across the world as a Nehruvian realistic approach in his era and under the image of cultural power, soft power pace to a multialignment approach to foreign policy dimensions were mainframe to the different political parties as being in the government machinery. These policies related with external affairs bring many forms of development and progressive tendencies to the new scientific and the neo liberal economic changes as a performer in the third world nations.

Benny Teh Cheng Guan (ed.), Security and Foreign Policy in Asia (Singapore: World Scientific), 2014

A country of 1.2 billion people with the third largest economy and third largest military in the world, India has begun to make its mark on world politics. Though the journey is incomplete, the path traveled thus far has been impressive. Starting from an extremely disadvantageous position, India has in the span of six decades rapidly ascended global power rankings to become a major regional power in Asia and a potential great power in the future. How has this transition come about? What are the contemporary challenges and opportunities facing India’s security and diplomacy? This chapter traces the evolution of India’s security and foreign policies with an emphasis on four relationships vital for India’s future—the United States, China, South Asia, and the United Nations Security Council respectively. In doing so, it outlines the fundamentals of Indian foreign policy and four major transitions that it has experienced over the years—from idealism to pragmatism; the rise of economic diplomacy; the growing importance of domestic politics; and an increasingly complex relationship with the international order.

Political Discourse, Volume 8, No. 1, ISSN 2395 – 2229, pp. 22 – 38 (international peer reviewed), 2022

Social networking website Twitter was taken aback with excitement on 4 January 2022 as India’s Union Minister for Law and Justice Mr. Kiren Rijiju tweeted three images of India’s armed forces unfurling the Indian national flag. At first glance, these images would look rather inconspicuous and could possibly even seem to be regular images – the caption on this tweet, however, would go on to reveal a new Indian foreign policy that unlike a few years ago was more open and informative, and not one of cloak and daggers only. The place in question where the images were taken was Galwan valley, a site in India’s eastern Ladakh region that saw conflict between armed forces of the People’s Republic of China and Indian troops in 2020, post which the radical shift in India’s foreign policy after 2014 was visible to analysts and academicians. In most cases, scholars say that shifts in foreign policy, in and of themselves, do not happen in a short span and are the result of years of alliances being formed and relations being built. This article seeks to take into consideration if India’s foreign policy has undergone a radical shift post 2014 and seeks to understand the same from recent examples of India’s foreign policy while dealing with its immediate neighbours. By dealing with recent examples of India’s responses to geo-political events such as India and Pakistan’s standoff, the Galwan Valley standoff with China, India and Sri Lanka engaging on a new oil farm project, and India’s modernising of its armed forces to sustain itself in a neighbourhood that has not so friendly neighbours, this article seeks to delve into recent events to understand if there has been a change from India’s traditional foreign policy approach and seeks to find justification from the same through recent instances of the policy on display.

Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2020