ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of India’s foreign and security policy immediately after independence when it actually played the role of a major power in Asia. The division of Asia into distinct sub-regions like South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia was not yet apparent to the countries of this region or to the wider world. India’s attempt to play the role of a major power was not limited to Southeast Asia only as New Delhi was also actively involved in Northeast Asian affairs. By 1971, systemic factors had further circumscribed India’s role beyond the confines of South Asia. For China, Pakistan had emerged as a low-cost proxy to keep India focused on South Asian affairs instead of challenging China at a pan-Asian level, especially in East Asia. India’s budding relationship with the United States has provided an impetus to New Delhi’s relationships with Japan and South Korea, both of which are amongst America’s closest allies in East Asia.
