ABSTRACT
As part of the second step of the research process, this chapter employs the theoretical framework sketched from Johnston’s model to assess the making of independent India’s foreign policy in the Nehruvian era. A discussion on Jawaharlal Nehru’s speeches and writings evince his palpable “socialization” in the broader Indian strategic and philosophical tradition. India’s policy of nonalignment, bilateral relations with China and Pakistan, and Nehru’s nuclear policy are specifically dealt with.
Nonalignment as an umbrella policy is shown to be a derivative of Kautilya’s saptanga (seven elements of state) theory. The intrinsic link between the saptanga (seven constituent elements of the state) and the sadgunyas (six measures of foreign policy) highlights the importance of relative strength and alludes to the concept of strategic autonomy. The adoption of the framework of Panchsheel in India’s relations with China and recognition of Tibet are reflective of ideological and territorial accommodation, respectively. Nehru’s conciliatory approach towards Pakistan in matters other than territoriality and national sovereignty was essentially driven by motives that Kautilya would prescribe for a newly independent nation. Nehru’s nuclear policy is demonstrative of the fusion of idealism and realism, reminiscent of the conjunction of artha and dharma in Kautilyan terminology.
