Indocentric view

India’s Foreign Policy Priorities: Economy emerges as the driving force

Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury

Notwithstanding the fresh challenges posed by traditional rivals in the region -- China and Pakistan -- India attempted new endeavours in its foreign policy in its quest for attaining the status of a global power. Besides expanding ties with Washington -- a key component of India's foreign policy -- partnership with Moscow, that was put on the backburner during 2006-08 has been strengthened. New vistas have been opened in Africa where New Delhi plans to match Chinese presence in its quest for resources.

India’s Relations with South Asia in 2010: A Journey of Crests and Troughs

Prof. Tridib Chakraborti

The year 2010 has been a mixed experience for India’s foreign policy establishment with respect to its South Asian neighbours, namely, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the Maldives. Among its neighbours in South Asia, the most prominent countries are Pakistan and Bangladesh, and New Delhi has a legacy of discording notes with both of them. Although the present state of relations between India and Pakistan is not at all favourable to create an affable setting for the development of better understanding between them, however its ties with Dhaka have been marked by a very positive strain, particularly in the wake of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s India visit in January 2010. Likewise, India’s relations with the other smaller South Asian neighbours have been cordial in the year under review, except for some acrimonious tones in the annals of its intra-mural relations vis-à-vis Nepal, as analyzed in the present paper.

India-China Relations: Getting out of the Gridlock

Col R Hariharan

During the last three decades the global security environment has drastically changed, ushering in greater cooperation and convergence among nations.  Both China and India have taken advantage of the significant changes in world economic order following the liberalisation of global trade. This process has been helped by rapid advances in information technology and networked communication. China had a head start of a decade and a half over India in revamping its economy and clocked double digit growth during this period. China’s domestic saving rate of over 50 percent has enabled it to develop extensive infrastructure. These advantages have helped it emerge as global manufacturing hub. However, its economy is largely dependent upon exports.

CHINA 2010: An Indian Perspective   

Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty

 

The Shanghai Expo and three other major events of China caught world’s attention as 2010  was moving to a close. One was the news in July that China had surpassed Japan and had become world’s second largest economy. The second and the third both took place in October. On 8 October the Nobel Prize for Peace was announced for the Chinese  dissident human rights activist  Liu Xiaobo who was serving an eleven year jail sentence. The other news was the crucial fifth plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China which met from October 15 till 18 and took two major decisions. One was  the formulation of the objectives of China’s twelfth five year plan beginning in January 2011. The other decision was the promotion of Vice-President Xi Jinping as a vice-chairman of CPC’s central military commission thereby confirming his prospects as successor to Hu Jintao as the CPC leader in the next Party Congress in 2012. For India the China’s economic rise to the second position in the world is of special significance to which we will pay somewhat closer attention. Before that let us briefly discuss the other events each of which has wide ramifications for the path of development  that China has chosen to follow.

India and Xinjiang

Dr. Mahesh Ranjan Debata

India’s century old historical, cultural and trade contacts with China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) met an eventual end after communists took over China in 1949. However, since Xinjiang has emerged as an important region after the disintegration of former Soviet Union and the subsequent creation of five Central Asian republics, India hopes to revive the historical and cultural contacts with Xinjiang. Besides, India now perceives Xinjiang as a potential landbridge to Central Asia from where it aims at getting hydrocarbon resources in the near future to cater to her energy needs.

India’s Push for Permanent Membership of Security Council: The China Factor

Dr. Netajee Abhinandan

India has been vociferously campaigning for UN reforms and the expansion of Security Council by including developing countries to make it more representative. Through its campaign, it has successfully presented itself as one of the strongest contenders for a permanent seat in the Council. India has joined hands with Japan, Germany and Brazil, the other formidable contenders for permanent seats, forming a group called G-4 and making unified efforts with them to achieve the goal. However, without securing the full support of the five permanent members of the Security Council, India can never enter into the Council with a permanent seat despite having the best credentials among the contenders. While Britain, Russia and France support India’s claims, China remains an opponent with the US staying non-committal. This article analyzes the dynamics of India’s campaign for a permanent seat in the Security Council and the attitude of each of the P-5 countries towards India’s bid. As China openly opposes the entry of both India and Japan into the Council for fear of losing its strategic importance, the article specially focuses on China’s stand on overall UN reforms and the factors responsible for its ambivalent position. It also looks at the future scenario in the wake of India getting overwhelming majority to enter into the Security Council as non-permanent member after a gap of 18 years.

The State of Pakistan Today

Brig. Vinod Anand and Col. G.G. Pamidi

 

Pakistan has been progressing from one crisis to the other for most of its 63 years of existence. Conforming to its past Pakistan of today is beset with multiple crises. Even though it has figured very high on a regular basis the on the Failed State index every year   based on about a dozen criteria it has not become a failed state due largely to its many benefactors. Further, each time Pakistan has been able to come through successive crisis and bumbled along just fine due to a confluence of many benign factors.  Presently, even though it is beset by political, economic and security crisis yet it has visions of becoming a key arbiter in the unfolding power play in the Af-Pak region. Pakistan’s strategic elite, especially the Pakistani military-security combine has the uncanny ability of turning any crisis within the country to advance its own narrow interests rather than the wider interests of its population.  Recently, General Kayani, the Pakistan’s Army Chief had made it very clear that Pakistani Army is India-centric and everything else takes second priority. The increasingly confrontationist and adversarial position being taken by Pakistan almost always reflects a growing desperate political situation in Pakistan. Pakistan has also been at odds with its neighbours India and Iran but then it has China whose friendship with Pakistan is ‘deeper then oceans and higher than mountains’ to support it in all its endeavours that can contain India and confine it to South Asian region. It has also become adept at using its strategic location in milking large amount of funds and armaments from the U.S. that can be used against India. And erstwhile President Musharraf has gone on record in accepting that U.S aid provided to Pakistan has been used in different direction i.e. against India.

India and Pakistan in 2010: Re-viewing the State of Bilateral Relations

Mohor Chakraborty

The year 2010 has been emblematic of a significant transformation in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan that had its successful initiation with the meeting of the two Prime Ministers at the 16^th SAARC Summit held in Thimphu in April this year. Since then, the mutual relations have moved along a sinusoidal trajectory, with an almost equal share of ups and downs. Although dominated by crests and troughs, on the whole, the political ties between New Delhi and Islamabad have been tepid. However, notwithstanding the sores over Kashmir, terrorism and sharing of water resources, it is hoped that the positive overtures will far outweigh the negativities and pave the way for a more peaceful neighbourly and regional ambience in the forthcoming second decade of the 21^st century

India and Sino-Pakistan Relations

Dr. Rup Narayan Das

 

One of the continuing and persistent features of South- Asian geo-politics is what is touted as ‘the all-weather friendship’ between China and Pakistan. While China’s relationship with the USA, Russia the erstwhile( USSR), Japan and many other countries in the region and the world around has oscillated between friendship ,estrangement and  conflict and vice-versa, its relationship with Pakistan with possible exception of North-Korea has been warm and cordial all -through. China and Pakistan have been close allies since 1962 war between India and China. This enduring alliance nurtured over the years witnessed its full blossom in April 2005 when China and Pakistan signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and Good Neighborly Relations. The enduring and strategic depth between the two countries was succinctly summed up by no less a person than the former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in an op-ed where he wrote, ‘no relationship between two sovereign states is as unique and durable as that between Pakistan and China . There are many facets to   this lasting relationship, the centrality of which is containing India with whom Pakistan fought three major wars, if the Kargil war of 1999 is not counted as a major war.

India, Central Asia and Afghanistan: Security and Economic Dimensions

Prof. Nirmala Joshi

For India a historic opportunity arose to reconnect with the Central Asian region when the five states of Central Asia gained unexpected independence in 1991. New vistas opened up for India to re-establish its past historical ties, rich cultural contacts and vibrant economic ties with the Central Asian region. The issue of energy security that had moved to the centre stage of international politics in the nineties of the last decade further enhanced India’s quest for intensifying its engagement with the Central Asian States (CAS). The last decade of the twentieth century also witnessed a broadening of the security concept.  Security was no longer understood in traditional terms of military security, but a new and a more insidious dimension was added. This was the rise of forces of religious extremism, international terrorism and aggressive nationalism -- the rise of non traditional threats which posed grave danger to a nation’s security and integrity. These pernicious forces arose and are present in India’s neighbourhood. The rise of these new challenges impinged on India’s geopolitical and security concerns.

Reorienting of India’s Foreign Policy from Soviet to Post-Soviet Times

Prof. Kuldip Singh

 

Given the heavy dependence of India on the former Soviet Union in economic and military sphere and in view of the immense political support to this country on different occasions, it was widely believed that Soviet disappearance would be felt badly by India.  However, proving many assessments wrong India has accommodated to the post- Cold War realities in an amazingly successful manner. Its political influence has vastly increased and it has got reward for unblemished track record on the nuclear non-proliferation question, while till recently it was viewed as a ‘law breaker’ on this issue.  Its strategic cooperation with the US has deepened; it has extended its influence to the hitherto uncultivated areas.  The country has demonstrated ability to pursue independent foreign policy postures on crucial issues such as, climate change, global terrorism and nuclear proliferation. The economic prosperity acquired by India in view of higher rate of growth and widespread support for policy change within the country has enabled it to pursue such a policy.

India - Saudi Arabia Relations: Fresh perceptions

Prof. AK Pasha 

West Asia continues to be the hot spot due to a number of new developments apart from old issues like Palestinian-Israeli conflict and peace process, Israeli steps in Gaza, events in Iraq due to US invasion and occupation, US-Iran conflictual perceptions, oil related issues, modest steps towards political participation in some Arab countries, visits by Indian leaders to the region.

 

Foreign Relations of India: BRIC in Africa

Prof. Aparajita Biswas

 

Since the 1990’s, India’s foreign policy has gone through a metamorphosis in tune with the changing global scenario. The disintegration of USSR, demise of the bipolar world and domestic economic problems prompted India to reassess its foreign policy and adjust its foreign relations of the earlier decades.  Serious domestic and international problems compelled India to reorganize its foreign policy on the basis of more pragmatic considerations. In today’s era of   globalization, it has improved its relations with United States and other western countries, established relations with Israel and embraced multilateralism, to solve its major problems on the economic front.  This is in sharp contrast to the earlier era of rigid bipolarity and East-West rivalry, which was marked by ambiguity among Indian foreign policy makers with regard to transnational cooperative arrangements.

India and South Africa: Historic and Unique Ties

Dr. Arunoday Bajpai

                The nature of relationship between India and South Africa is not merely a bilateral phenomena but it has regional and global implications. Though the democratic South Africa emerged in international arena only in early 1990s, its foreign policy has assumed significant regional and global dimensions within a short span of 20 years. The changes from apartheid to racial equality and from an authoritarian regime to multi-party democracy were epochal in South Africa. After the end of Apartheid, the new democratic South Africa has diversified the content and direction of its foreign engagements. Also, the rise of a democratic South Africa has imparted a sense of confidence and self-assurance among the rest of the African countries. Africans are coming forward with new awareness to solve their own problems. The restructuring of OAU in its new Avatar as African Union in 2001 with proactive role in peace and development and launching of NEPAD or New Partnership for Africa's Development same year illustrate this new awareness. There has been a tendency to treat African countries as a single bloc in academic discourse on foreign relations. The country-specific conditions and problems were brushed aside in such discourses. With the long march of African countries as independent nations and the end of last scourge of Apartheid from South Africa, there is a need to deal with and discuss African countries in more specific, focused and bilateral manner. For policy-makers and academicians, South Africa definitely deserves a specific and focused treatment.

India-Republic of Korea Relations: Recent Developments

Dr. Rajaram Panda

In recent years, the bilateral relationship between India and the Republic of Korea (ROK) has assumed robustness. Bilateral ties in economic, political, defence and strategic areas have been deepened as both countries have found mutuality of interests. The ROK has recognized India’s recent increase in global profile. In particular, what is noteworthy is that bilateral ties have seen an upswing in the economic realm after both signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and which took effect on 1 January 2010. Simultaneously, the strategic, political and cultural dimensions of the relationship have also been revamped.

 

Vietnam-India Relations in the Post-Cold War:Current Situation and Prospects

Vo Xuan Vinh

Vietnam-India relations are traditional, time-tested and based on trust and mutual understanding. It encompasses many areas including political, defence and economic, originated from friendship, shared perceptions and mutuality of interests. After starting its economic reforms in 1991, India has been emerging as one of the new economic powers in Asia and in the world at large. Vietnam since the end of the 1990s has treated its relations with India as strategic ties. India has also considered Vietnam as its special partner in Asia-Pacific region. In the official visit of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007, the two countries signed Joint Declaration on the Vietnam-India Strategic Partnership and many other important agreements on cooperation in various fields. It is expected that Vietnam-India bilateral ties will be upgraded in the future.

Foreign Aid: Status and Gains of India as a Donor

Prof. Jugal Kishore Mishra

The journey of India from 1958, the days of Aid- to- India Consortium, consisting of the World Bank Group and 13 countries such as Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark," the Federal Republic Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the USA to 2008, the year India graduated from “a net recipient of foreign assistance” to “a net exporter of capital” is really eventful. Simply, this salvific journey indicates and ratifies India’s emergence and comeuppance as an emergent and emerging donor/ giver of “foreign aid”, “foreign assistance” and “international developmental assistance”. As India has qualified to become “the 4^th largest economy in terms of international purchasing currency assets” (Subhas Agrawal, 2007) it has made over “from aid taking to aid giving”. So the Indian “dalliance with aid diplomacy” (J.S. Pocha, 2007) and the Indian politics of “new style of aid giving” (Cheryl Payer, 1974) have engaged legions of scholars, engaged in threadbare analyses of “the politics of global economic relations” (Walters and Blake, 1992), such as William S. Graud (1968), MP Todaro (1981), L. Timberlake (1985), K. Griffin (1986), D.W. Gillies (1987) Peter Burnell (1997), Per Lundborg (1998). Rati Ram (2003), Jakob Svensson (1999) Devi Sridhar (2008) and Dweep Chanana (2010). In the light of the accrued received motion on and about the Indian official aid programmes, it is submitted that India as a donor of foreign aid does carry clout, both political and economic in this multilateral and globalized World in the 21^st Century.

India’s Foreign Economic Policy and Trade: Trends and Prospects

Dr. Sailaja Gullapalli

 

Every country has a surplus of goods, which it can export and earn revenue. Similarly, it can also import certain products unavailable in its country and meet the requirements of its population. This export and import together constitute the foreign trade. The higher the foreign trade the better the country’s access and gains. The very purpose of the foreign trade is to meet the necessities that are in short supply in one’s country, to promote better living standards through import of quality goods and also improve the production quality, apart from accelerating production levels, generating income and most importantly, employment. It also leads to the expansion of domestic industries and increase the sources of foreign exchange. India has followed this routine but rough path over the years, especially since independence. It has witnessed many a ups and downs including the shortage of food, resources and has been on a borrowing spree many years. It focused heavily on industrialisation and concentrated less on its agricultural sector. But the course of the Indian economy changed once and for all with the onset of the policy of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation (referred to as LPG system). This article gives a sketch of India’s growth from a restricted economy to one of the fastest growing economies in the world today.

India’s Economic Diplomacy

Shounkie Nawani

With the end of the Cold War, India’s foreign policy realigned to a greater use of economic diplomacy. This closely coincided with the process of economic reforms in India that led to its globalization. The economic policies along with the new environment have changed the trade, investment and economic profile of the country. India has been actively engaged in developing multilateral, trilateral and bilateral trade and investment agreement along with being a part of the multilateral institutions.  There is now an increasing need for maximizing domestic benefits through international trade and investment negotiations keeping in mind the current and future economic prospects of India. For this, it requires an effective use of economic diplomacy with corresponding domestic economic policies to carry on such dialogues in accordance with the international best practices. Also, the nature of economic diplomacy and domestic policies has to be a dynamic one to accommodate changes in the global economy.

ULFA and Indo-Bangladesh Relations

Prof. Samir Kumar Das

This paper is an attempt at understanding insurgency in Assam in general and the ULFA phenomenon in particular - neither in complete isolation from its externalities, that is to say, solely in terms of the Indo-Bangladesh relations nor completely within that framework - but beyond either of them. It seeks to tell a story of those forces and processes which are not mediated by any bilateral or for that matter international relations and therefore remain relatively outside the control of any nation-state, and most importantly, how they affect and impinge on both ULFA and the course of Indo-Bangladesh relations. It also makes a call for accordingly reorienting and calibrating India’s external policy towards the militants and insurgents of the Northeast operating from the neighbouring countries.

 

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