Explain the philosophical foundations of India's foreign policy. (UPSC CSE Mains 2021 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 2)
- Theoretically, foreign policy of no country can be bereft of certain foundational principles and profound objectives. The principles and objectives, in fact, provide the structural and functional frameworks within which the foreign policy is to be framed and in accordance with whom it has to be conducted. Obviously, principles and objectives are not the same things. While principles are the guiding philosophical norms and values that lay at the root of long term formulation of a foreign policy, objectives are the concrete goals enmeshed in the overall national interests of a country which the foreign policy seeks to achieve in short or long run. Clearly, India‘s foreign policy has been underpinned by a number of cardinal principles and lofty objectives that impart it a distinguished character.
- Several factors - historical, civilisational, cultural - that are innate to our people’s genius, as well as current relevant ones like economic, technological, and demographic, lie behind our foreign policy consensus in shaping it. The quintessential strands of our foreign policy: peaceful co-existence, non-interference, peaceful resolution of disputes, non-alignment, anti-colonialism, anti-racism, multilateralism, pluralism, general and complete disarmament, opposition to all forms of terrorism, extremism and fundamentalism, pro-development, wider global cooperation in general, and South-South cooperation in particular, and so on, are moored in India’s civilisational beliefs in peace, tolerance, and One World. These have admirably stood the test of time. India, as an open, inclusive, and responsible member of the global community, believes that durable peace is only possible in a world in which all are equal stakeholders in prosperity, progress and happiness. We also propounded Panchasheela, the five principles of peaceful co-existence for international relations.
- While policy of Non-alignment was invented to act as the philosophical signpost of India‘s foreign policy vis-à-vis the wider international relations, doctrine of panchsheel was formulated to act as the bedrock of India‘s interface with its neighbours. Literally, panchsheel means a set of five principles of peaceful coexistence. These principles were enunciated in the treaty that India signed with China to set the trajectory of relations between the two countries. The five elements of the doctrine of panchsheel are: respect for each other‘s sovereignty and territorial integrity; non-aggression towards each other; non-interference in the internal affairs of each other; mutually beneficial relations bases on equality; and peaceful co-existence. These principles were in fact nothing short of articles of faith for Nehru who appeared to turn oblivious to Chinese expansionist overtures to India. Thus, though scrupulous observance of the principles of panchsheel cost India dearly in terms of substantive loss of territory and notional loss of face in international community, she continues to be guided by these principles in setting the trajectory of its relations with its neighbours. At the larger scale, India professes these principles to be the guiding foundations of the foreign policies of different countries in all parts of the world. Only the observance of these principles could bring about and maintain long lasting peace in the neighborhood of different countries.
- Our longstanding commitment to disarmament, non-proliferation, and international security is widely acknowledged. Time and again we reached out swiftly to our neighbours, and to others in distress, such as to Maldives in the Eighties, and after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. India champions the interests of the countries of the South in forums like G-8, G-20, G-24, UN, IMF and World Bank, WTO, and at international conclaves like the climate meets. India has demonstrated her ability to contribute to peace and security in the region and beyond, as also, conclusively, that substantive social and economic progress is possible through true democratic governance.
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