Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Nehruvian Phase: Ideology Adjusts with Realpolitik
- 3 Nehru's Successors: Realism Takes Command
- 4 Imperatives of the New Millennium
- 5 An Overview
- Appendix I Warsaw Declaration on Community of Democracies, June 2000
- Appendix II Santiago Commitment; Community of Democracies, April 2005
- Appendix III PM's Address to Joint Session of the US Congress, July 2005
- Appendix IV PM's Speech at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of Afghan Parliament, August 2005
- Appendix V PM's Speech at the UN Democracy Fund, September 2005
- Appendix VI PM's Speech at the Conference on Democracy, Development and Social Inclusion, December 2005
- Index
5 - An Overview
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 October 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Nehruvian Phase: Ideology Adjusts with Realpolitik
- 3 Nehru's Successors: Realism Takes Command
- 4 Imperatives of the New Millennium
- 5 An Overview
- Appendix I Warsaw Declaration on Community of Democracies, June 2000
- Appendix II Santiago Commitment; Community of Democracies, April 2005
- Appendix III PM's Address to Joint Session of the US Congress, July 2005
- Appendix IV PM's Speech at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of Afghan Parliament, August 2005
- Appendix V PM's Speech at the UN Democracy Fund, September 2005
- Appendix VI PM's Speech at the Conference on Democracy, Development and Social Inclusion, December 2005
- Index
Summary
Foreign policies are not solely ideologically driven and India's is no exception in this respect. Democracy has been an important ideological preference for India, not only in the construction but also in the pursuance of its foreign policy. But this preference has been pursued within the constraints of perceived strategic and security interests, which in any case, get priority in any foreign policy scheme. The pursuance of democracy dimension in India's foreign policy has been expressedly evident in relation to its immediate neighbours, though during the past decade, particularly with the beginning of the new millennium, India has also associated itself with the efforts of promoting democracy at the global level. Joining of the global democratic front has, in many subtle and explicit ways, also influenced India's pursuance of democratic goals in the neighbourhood. It is only seldom that India has pro actively initiated moves to democratise authoritarian and dictatorial regimes in the neighbouring countries. There has been no ‘regime change’ strategy in India's foreign policy like the one evident in the foreign policies of some of the major global players like the US, the former Soviet Union and even China. These powers sought to ideologically harmonise the targeted regimes for securing strategic objectives. India mostly reacted to the rise of struggles for democracy in the neighbouring countries and responded to the calls of support on the basis of its perceived interests in the given context of political turbulence.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- India's Foreign PolicyThe Democracy Dimension, pp. 124 - 137Publisher: Foundation BooksPrint publication year: 2009