Indian Foreign Policy free essay sample

India’s Foreign Policy Indian Foreign policy pre-dates India’s Independence. This Policy has come a long way from the pre-independence period ‘copy the west’ and ‘don’t copy the west ideology’ to the post-independence turning point decisions like restarting dialog with Pakistan. It lays its emphasis on principles like fostering cordial relations, solving conflicts by peaceful means, Sovereignty and equality of nations and Independence of thought and action. As a member of the Non-align Movement or NAM, it strongly advocates general and complete disarmament (nuclear disarmament is topmost priority). This Policy defines the foundation of India’s relationship with countries like the United States and China with the help of five main principles: Conventional Security, Economic Growth, Energy Security, Prestige Security and Nuclear Capability and Nonproliferation. Over the years India’s relationship with China has improved owing to the joint efforts of both the countries. China has strived to ensure that the border conflicts do not hamper the trade interests of the both the countries equally. We will write a custom essay sample on Indian Foreign Policy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page India’s relationship with the United States however spells out a completely different story. The relationship has moved from hostile at the time when India chose to tilt towards the Soviet Union as a reaction to the United States’ affection towards Pakistan. This scenario completely changed after President Bill Clinton’s visit to India in 2000. The major limitation of the Indian Foreign Policy is that the central government often excludes the views of the general public considering they are poorly informed about foreign issues. Although they do take into account the public reaction to the policy while framing it. Even the state institutions have limited say while framing the policy. The business class and the media have a considerable impact on the Foreign policies formed. The rise of China as a business rival acted as a catalyst in increasing the engagement of the business class in the drafting of this policy. The media impacts this policy by shaping public opinion on foreign policy issues in a democracy. The latest Foreign Trade Policy for the yr 2009-14 focuses on initiatives like Market Diversification, Technological Upgradation, Support to status holders, Agriculture, Village Industry, Marine Sector, Green products and technologies and other such areas. The goal of this new policy is to reverse the downward trend of exports along with providing additional support to the sectors hit badly by recession. The Indian Foreign Policy has adapted itself to benefit from the changing worldwide economic conditions. The policy has ensured the protection of Indian business houses and small scale industries guarantee a broader and diverse economic growth. Bibliography 1. Foreign Trade Policy 2. http://www. indianembassy. org 3. http://belfercenter. ksg. harvard. edu 4. Makers of Indias Foreign Policy: Raja Ram Mohun Roy to Yashwant Sinha by J. N. Dixit 5. India Review; Jul-Sep2009, Vol. 8 Issue 3 6. Brown Journal of World Affairs; Spring2009, Vol. 15 Issue 2. 7. http://belfercenter. ksg. harvard. edu/publication/17778/indias_foreign_policy. html