International Relations (Objectives of India's foreign Policy) by Viraj C Rane

Model Answer

Question #1. While keeping in view the fundamental objectives of India’s foreign policy India has adopted and pursued certain principles to realize these objectives. Discuss.

Approach:

• The questions requires analysis of India’s foreign policy in light of its principle and objectives
• Briefly introduce by writing about India’s foreign policy
• Then explain the basic principles and objectives of India’s foreign policy
• Conclude by suggesting way forward for India’s foreign policy

Hints:

India's foreign affairs are closely integrated with the country's fundamental security and developmental priorities. Some of the principles of India’s foreign policy are given in Article 51 under the Directive Principles of Policy in the Constitution of India. These principles have stood the test of time and are ingrained in the international law and India’s foreign policy practice.

Basic principles of India’s foreign policy:

• Panchsheel : The founder of India’s foreign policy, Nehru gave utmost importance to world peace in his policy planning. While signing a peace agreement with China; he advocated adherence to five guiding principles known as Panchsheel. Panchsheel includes mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,  Non-- aggression against each other, interference in each other’s internal affairs, Equality and mutual benefit and Peaceful coexistence.
• Policy of Non alignment: India played an important role in the multilateral movements of colonies and newly independent countries that wanted to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement. The country's place in national diplomacy, its significant size and its economic growth turned India into one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement
• Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes:  One of the core elements of India’s foreign policy is its unflinching faith in the political solution and peaceful settlement of international disputes. This principle has been included in the Constitution of India, under the Directive Principles of State Policy as well as in the Charter of the UN.
• Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes:  One of the core elements of India’s foreign policy is its unflinching faith in the political solution and peaceful settlement of international disputes. This principle has been included in the Constitution of India, under the Directive Principles of State Policy as well as in the Charter of the UN.

Objective of India’s foreign policy

• Protection and Promotion of National Interests:  
• Protection and promotion of the country‘s national interests lies at the heart of India‘s foreign policy. 
• National interest, conceptually, is a very wide idea encompassing almost everything that is good for the country. But, generally, in concrete terms, national interest ranges from the national defence and security to the short term objectives that India‘s foreign policy seeks to achieve in both bilateral as well as multilateral dealings with the rest of the world.
• Autonomy of Independent Decision Making: 
• Though threats to the autonomy of independent decision making of India exist eve today in a different form, India‘s foreign policy has indeed worked hard to ward off all such threats formidably. 
• Moreover, a number of other countries in Asia and Africa now look to India for providing them a sense of security and ensuring their autonomy in the uncertain world where bigger fishes are always out to predate the vulnerable nations.
• Economic Drivers of Foreign Policy:
•  Economic interests have always been at the heart of the pursuits of India‘s foreign policy. Interestingly while many other objectives of India‘s foreign policy have faded away to insignificance, economic objectives have remained as vibrant.
•  In contemporary times, the major drivers of India‘s foreign policy remain the economic ones as it seeks to deepen its economic relations through the policy measures like Act East Policy, prioritizing investment in African countries and creation of a number of multilateral frameworks for enhanced economic cooperation amongst leading economies of the East.

Conclusion:

Today, India finds itself in an increasingly dangerous world. It is a world in transition, one in which India’s adversaries — state or non-state, or both as in Pakistan’s case — are becoming increasingly powerful. Thus, at present, India should concentrate its efforts on strengthening itself, consolidating its periphery and external balancing. Ultimately what should guide India is the quest to make itself a great power with a difference, namely, in a way which enables it to achieve Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of ‘wiping the tear from the eye of every Indian.’

Question #2. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has not lost any of its relevance, rather it has stood the test of time. Do you agree? Critically examine with reference to the relevance of NAM in present times.

Approach:

• Briefly introduce the origin of NAM and its objectives.  
• Arguments describing the still held relevance of NAM and how it could be improved 
• Critically place arguments describing how NAM has declined in relevance. 
• Conclusion with the way forward 

Hints:

The Non-Aligned Movement is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.  The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was created and founded during the collapse of the colonial system and the independence struggles of the peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world and at the height of the Cold War. 

It is argued that with the end of the Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has lost its relevance and significance. However, even though NAM may not have the political, economic or military strength to successfully resist the powerful nations, it continue to live as the movement of the developing countries engaged in the pursuit of international peace, security, and development.

Significance of NAM in present times

• Integral part of foreign policy: NAM as foreign policy is very much relevant today. Many developing countries like India still follow NAM policy. The policy to avoid colonization and imperialism continues to remain valid for all small and developing countries.
• Check on big power ambitions: NAM constitutes 120 developing countries and act as a check on big power ambitions. It stood as a unifying force against the traditional foreign policy of great power and strictly restricts imperialism, nationalism and universalism.
• Base of ‘South-South’ co- operation: NAM acts as catalyst to foster the co-operation between South-South nations. It raises issues that are of major concern for the south countries .It initiate economic, political and social development corner to achieve desired results of moving from developing to developed nations.
• Voice of developing nations: NAM is emerging majority day by day. Each year its strength increases which act as force and give its members to put their point on internationals issues.
• Alternative world power: NAM with passage of time emerged as the alternative world power. With its strength and motive to democratize the international system proved its qualification as alternative world power which would promote equality and peace all over the world and even provide new dynamics to the existing world’s politics.
• Culture diversity and human rights: NAM is the protector of human right and culture diversity. NAM always active to secure the human right of every nation and if found it being violated it stand for its protection.
• Peaceful settlement of international disputes: NAM since its foundation act as platform that protect the interest of developing countries .If disputes arises between developed and  developing countries at any point of concerned topic then NAM act as platform which negotiate and conclude disputes peacefully securing the favorable decision for each member of nation.
• Preservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty: NAM proved it relevance with the ideal of preserving independence of every nation. This policy will survive long lasting till the time sovereign nation state exists irrespective of any periodical, marginal changes, in the existing system all over the world. It has repeated relevance in every stage till the concept of international relation exists So whether world is uni-polar ,multi-polar, or bio-polar NAM as  policy will grow stronger.

Declining Relevance of NAM in today’s scenario

• End of Cold War: End of the Cold war and disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved to be a watershed in the evolution of NAM. NAM was forced to carve out a new role for itself as its initial objectives of de-colonisation and end of apartheid had been largely realized by then. 
• Reduced differences: Rapid advance of globalisation, at least till the international financial and economic crisis in 2008 and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe in 2010, has significantly brought down economic and physical borders between the North and South.
• Differing structures: Members of the NAM are not united culturally or politically. 
• A strong relationship with big powers: Several members of the grouping including India have been strengthening their engagement with the developed world to invite capital, technology, better management practices, larger markets etc to improve the economic conditions of their citizens

• New regional and issue-based groupings: The emergence of groups like International Solar Alliance, BRICS, RCEP, G20, etc., means that countries are collaborating at multilateral platforms based on emerging issues and common challenges.

• Inadequacy in handling problems:  Only two countries of the Non-Aligned Conference of 1961, Cyprus and Ethiopia, supported India against China.  No collective action was taken against external security threats or aggression against non-aligned nations, while the movement’s record even in intra-non-aligned disputes such as Iran-Iraq, Indonesia-Malaysia or Libya-Chad was abysmal.

Conclusion

Non-alignment in the post-Cold War era is still relevant and really means the freedom to choose a wide range of partners to cooperate with on different issues, to protect our national interests. Thus, while being non-aligned gives us the flexibility to choose our partners and partnerships, the Non-Aligned Movement has declined in relevance in today’s world.

However, it is not the institutional relevance that is the most important feature of NAM. It is the principles it represents such as – issue-based alignment, democratization, using the group to tackle power asymmetry, mutual collaboration and cooperation and pursuing overall peace. It is these principles that need revitalization. As an institution that is an embodiment of these principles, NAM will always be relevant.