Introduction

The introductory chapter provides the theoretical background, determinants and principles of India’s Southeast Asia policy, in the backdrop of the Cold War period. It sets the tone for the wider analysis of the trajectory of India-Southeast Asia relations through the four decades of the Cold War period and identifies the factors that have determined this trajectory. In sum, it reveals the interplay of factors like ideology and personality of the Indian leaders, significant events as well as the impact of Pakistan’s foreign and defence policies, that have stimulated and conditioned India’s policy towards the Southeast Asian region during the period under review.