“Although Jawaharlal Nehru expressed strong support for the Soviet Union as a potential anti-colonial ally, his views of the Soviets diminished somewhat as the excesses of Stalinism came to light in the 1930s. Indeed, Nehru assured US Ambassador Loy Henderson in 1950 that ‘in the event of a world war . .. (India) will not side with the Communists’,” Vishwa Shastra (Penguin A recently published book written by Foreign Policy on Viking) says. Analyst Dhruv Jaishankar
India-Pakistan dialogue began after Narendra Modi was elected prime minister in 2014 when he invited leaders of neighboring countries to his swearing-in ceremony, he says in the book. During Congress rule, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to visit Pakistan but opposition within his own party could not prevent it, the book says.
Excerpt from a conversation with Dhruv Jaishankar by Divya A.
You say in the book that India’s future will be largely shaped by its foreign interactions. How is this new?
The book provides ample examples of how India has always been shaped in some way by its foreign interactions. Looking ahead, the world at large offers incredible opportunities for India to strengthen and prosper, but also risks and challenges to face.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India is now equally close to everyone after being equally distant from everyone. Is it against Nehru’s policy of non-alignment?
Despite many Indians embracing the norm of non-alignment, actual non-alignment was only possible for a short period between 1953 and 1962. Thereafter, and especially after 1971, India became allied with the Soviet Union. After 1991, the situation gradually changed. India’s economy became more globally integrated, less hesitant to use rising power rhetoric, it managed to ‘de-hyphenate’ itself from Pakistan, and it began to play a role on a much larger stage beyond narrow borders. South Asia. There were times when these trends accelerated, such as between 1998 and 2008 and again in 2014 after the election of Prime Minister Modi.
Is China the biggest factor in India’s foreign policy?
China is the biggest factor influencing India’s foreign policy today. This is evident if we look at India’s involvement in various regions – in South Asia, in the Indian Ocean, in Southeast Asia, in the Indo-Pacific, with Russia and Pakistan, with Europe and America and with Africa. Consider recent changes in India’s trade, technology and defense procurement policies.
It was under the leadership of PV Narasimha Rao that India established diplomatic relations with Israel and ASEAN, and launched the Look East policy.
Yes, some big changes started under PM Rao’s leadership. He also tried to stabilize the border with China and made some initial outreach efforts in the US. But on many other matters he was neglected, especially on India’s nuclear programme. In the years that followed, the Indian economy took off, giving Rao’s successors – Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh more opportunities to work. It is under PM Modi that Indian leaders made their first visit to Israel, India established a dedicated diplomatic mission to ASEAN, and it deepened security ties with countries such as Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.
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