India's Foreign Policy-From Dream to Reality

In March 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that “international institutions are going to have to start to accommodate [India] in some way.” From an Indian perspective, she is years late. But it is an objective that the developed world is only now beginning to affirm and towards which it is still only taking hesitant steps.

While local politics in India mandate an internal focus, recent Indian administrations have understood that it will require engagement with the international community to achieve their domestic objectives. In other words, India still focuses inwardly: in actions, however, India is beginning to feel its way outside its borders. In recent years, India’s military, diplomatic and economic energies have expanded far beyond Nehru’s Non-Aligned position. But what does that mean for India, its region, and to the United States?

 Introduction

Increasing globalization and interdependence between nations across the globe have enhanced the need for healthy diplomatic relations amongst all countries. Today, a sound and strategic foreign policy are crucial for having a voice in international platforms, for effective trade and investments, and for achieving consistent domestic progress. India’s foreign policy has developed greatly since independence. Policies for forming global interactions progressed from being principled to goal-driven and objective orientated. Post-independence, India’s agenda revolved primarily around fostering new relationships with colonial and ex-colonial nations to encourage peace and cooperation in light of international disputes such as the Cold War. Significant conflicts with neighbors like China and Pakistan led to necessary changes in India’s foreign policy, with the country no longer remaining neutral in its relations. Ties with the USA, Soviet Union, and several other countries were in constant flux due to the allegiances formed during both the Sino-Indian and the Indo-Pakistani wars. It was this shift that led to greater military preparedness and the development of more agenda-driven foreign policies.

Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran has lamented the lack of an overall national security strategy and criticized the priority granted showmanship over substance. Meanwhile, Rajesh Rajagopalan of Jawaharlal Nehru University has expressed disappointment with the lack of new ideas and synergy, and his colleague Happymon Jacob has faulted New Delhi’s bullying and poor imagination for bad relations with its neighbors.

Much of this criticism is perplexing. Ambiguity and deniability have value in foreign affairs. As a consequence, neither this Indian government nor any of its predecessors have ever explicitly spelled out their strategic intentions in a single document, although there are plenty of public statements that offer a good indication of the government’s outlook. These public articulations, combined with the nature, outcomes, and timings of Modi’s diplomatic activities, offer a clear picture of India’s priorities and strategic objectives. They are essentially five-fold:

• Prioritizing an integrated neighborhood; “Neighbourhood First.”
• Leveraging international partnerships to promote India’s domestic development.
• Ensuring a stable and multipolar balance of power in the Indo-Pacific; “Act East.”
• Dissuading Pakistan from supporting terrorism.
• Advancing Indian representation and leadership on matters of global governance.

Today, too, India's principal foreign policy objectives remain a peaceful environment and strategic space and autonomy, so as to concentrate on our tasks of integration and nation-building. This necessitates good relations with major powers and economies and the neighbors.

Institution Building

The BRICs5 was introduced to the public by the then Chair of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O'Neill, in his publication Building Better Global Economic BRICs (O’Neil, 2001). BRICs denoted the group of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, all sharing their bright prospects of emerging economies. India lived up to these predictions. It showed a high economic growth rate of 8–10 percent between fiscal years 2003 and 2010 (Ishigami, 2017, p. 52). One important aim for India in the present foreign policy regime is to participate and take the lead in several international governance platforms. The government aims to increase India’s influence in the existing associations. India is already a member of the G20, the East Asia Summit, and the BRICS coalition, and aims to increase its authority at these forums. The government also aspires for permanent membership on the UN Security Council. India’s foreign policy involves creating institutional leadership by undertaking its own initiatives. The International Solar Alliance was started by India and has a membership of more than 120 countries. committed to creating solar technology and supporting the use of solar power. Other examples of India’s efforts are the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the BBIN, discussed above. India needs to continue to evolve and engage with current global subjects, and clearly articulate its international policies, in order to gain a higher place at the table, and make its presence felt in on a global scale.

Advancement of Domestic Development

India’s foreign policy is increasingly geared towards forging international relationships to advance its domestic targets. India has made partnerships in a variety of fields, such as technology, sourcing or capital, natural resources, and securing market access, which has greatly boosted its domestic industries. Results of this are clear in the fact that India’s Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) has seen a great boost (5 billion USD) compared to the previous fiscal years, due to an increase in international collaboration. Given India’s objectives on an international platform and its emphasis on improving relations with neighboring countries, it is important to analyze recent developments of India’s diplomatic actions and policies within the surrounding region.

Conclusion

In the short to medium term, India’s potential for becoming an agent of change is significant in a number of key areas. Given India’s impressive military and soft-power capabilities, as India builds confidence and finds its voice, I anticipate that it will become more active in helping to create a regional security regime and in pushing stability outwards. With the completion of the civil nuclear deal, India will have the freedom to take action in promoting nonproliferation objectives out of which until now it has been locked. In the broad area of counter-terrorism, whether through interdiction, intelligence sharing, military training, or teaching about multi-ethnic and religious engagement, India has enormous resources and experience from which to draw. And finally, and perhaps most importantly for India, in the areas of health, education, and agriculture, India has huge gaps to fill. As the government finds ways to address these problems and disparities, India will have a role to play in teaching and educating others.