ABSTRACT
Domestic and international factors shape India’s or any country’s foreign policy. Domestically, India’s history, culture, geography and economy have all played important roles in determining the country’s foreign policy objectives and principles. Following India’s independence in 1947, New Delhi pursued an active foreign policy, seeking status and respect, attempting to reform aspects of a Western-dominated international order, and attempting to protect its interests. As the context in which India’s leaders have had to contend, as well as its relative power and influence, the means used to achieve these ends have changed over time. Parallel to this, the actors involved in foreign policy, both inside and outside of government, have shifted, as have the policymaking processes. Today, New Delhi has four broad priorities: ensuring that India’s status as a major emerging power is respected by others; supporting the country’s economic and social development; strengthening national security, particularly with regard to China, Pakistan, and India’s immediate neighbours; and acquiring the instruments of influence, including “soft power,” required to defend its interests and realize its aspirations. To pursue them, successive Indian leaders have engaged in extensive bilateral, mini-lateral and multilateral summits, advocating for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and greater say in global governance issues ranging from trade to climate change. Having said that, India has its own set of foreign policy objectives that are anchored by many explanatory and intervening variables. The primary aim of this chapter is to identify and categorize the explanatory and intervening variables of India’s foreign policy after the Cold War to identify the general assumptions of India’s foreign policy after the Cold War.
