Foreign policy of india

The volume is divided into four parts. The first part, consisting of eight pieces, deals with the background, the foundations and the structural aspects of the policy. The subject matter includes geopolitics, foreign policy of the Congress, ideological, philosophical and economic sources of policy, non- alignment, and planning of policy. The four pieces, included in part two, deal 'with the substance of policy during Jawaharlal Nehru's stewardship. It includes a debate which took place in a well-known academic journal and was joined by scholars who treated foreign policy issues with understanding and competence. Part three essentially deals with the post-Nehru period. But for one piece dealing with Lal Bahadur Shastri's brief Prime Minister- ship, it can as well be said that the third part devotes itself to the period since Indira Gandhi came into power. Aside from showing that though based
on the foundations which Nehru laid down, it indicates that our policy has responded to the changing situations within as well as outside the country. A brief discussion about our options is also incorporated. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's contribution, made to a well-known American quarterly, is an excellent statement and defence of India's policy. The implications of India's explosion are discussed in two pieces. In order that reader has a balanced perspective, one piece is by a leading Indian expert on security affairs and the other by a foreigner who is well familiar with the general orientation of our foreign policy. The last part concerns itself with bilateral relations which are relatively more important for India. The developments in the subcontinent are of immediate and crucial significance and they are analysed by two scholars familiar to the students of the subject. Our relations with China,
the USA and the Soviets are discussed by Indian scholars working abroad. They have a unique advantage of deciphering how India's foreign policy looks from within as well as from abroad. Since the pieces included in this volume were completed, some new developments have taken place. The editor has attempted to highlight them in the postscript.