ABSTRACT
When we urge realism on India’s national security policy, it is vital to get a sense of the philosophical and practical implications of the approach. What is realism beyond just ‘power politics’? Those who describe themselves as realists in the discipline of International Relations subscribe in part or in whole, tacitly or more explicitly, to thirteen key sets of assumptions and arguments about the conduct of states. It is against this set of tenets that one must judge whether India’s national security policy is realist and if so to what extent.
