Indian Foreign Policy

by Sumit Ganguly

Published 23 July 2015
This short introduction provides a clear and succinct account of the evolution of Indian foreign policy over six decades since Independence. It explains how the three approaches to the study of international politics decision-making, systemic/global, and national/domestic have helped in formulating and implementing India's foreign policies.

The five chapters cover the ideational period, starting immediately after Independence and ending with the Sino-Indian border war of 1962; the period between 1962 and the end of the Cold War; India's greater acceptance of the importance of material capabilities following the end of the Cold War; and current trends and debates in Indian foreign policy, unresolved tensions, and the possible way ahead.

Updated and revised, this short introduction has become a go-to source for its clarity and succinct account of the evolution of Indian foreign policy over seven decades of India's decolonization. It explains how the three approaches to the study of international politics-decision-making, national/domestic, and systemic/global-have helped in formulating and implementing India's foreign policies.

The five chapters cover the ideational period, starting immediately after Independence and ending with the Sino-Indian border war of 1962; the period between 1962 and the end of the Cold War; India's greater acceptance of the importance of material capabilities following the end of the Cold War; current trends and debates in Indian foreign policy, including analysis on Narendra Modi's regime; and bookending the introduction by discussing challenges and the possible way ahead.