Is India’s foreign policy strategic enough?

Is India’s foreign policy strategic enough?


The foreign policy of a country reflects the position a country possesses or aims to achieve. Many of us feel that India doesn’t take a strong enough stand against the activities of neighbouring countries or it doesn’t give suitable and strong reply at various international platforms. These incidents provoke questions on our foreign policy being strategic enough.

For

1. Having a strategic foreign policy lets you maintain good relations even with the rival countries. We have been able to do this very effectively. We have signed a nuclear deal with US while accruing nuclear submarines from Russia.
2. We have been able to maintain good relationship with both Palestine and Israel, two deadly enemies. Thanks to our strategic foreign policy.
3. Many people accuse the foreign policy of not being strong enough against Pakistan. Every country will have some notorious elements but you can not stop the dialogue with the Government for them. This will further harm the country.
4. Strategising a strong foreign policy is like playing a game of chess where you have to bear in mind the position of all other pieces on the board. You can not react to each and every move of the opponent.

Against

1. As the citizens of this country we expect our foreign policy to help India become economically powerful, possess better military, security & political strength against cross border terrorism and become global power with maximum number of youth in a country to work. Unfortunately, we have not been a success in any of these arenas.
2. Not just China and Pakistan, anti-India sentiments are now erupting even in Srilanka, Nepal and Bangladesh also. We have not been able to contain them.
3. We do not react amply to the cross border terrorism from Pakistan or the incursions from China.
Post your comment

    Discussion

  • RE: Is India’s foreign policy strategic enough? -Rajani Sharma (12/14/13)
  • For:

    - India has made advancement using their foreign-policy strategies by solving out the issues with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
    - India has also made big strategic advances on the Indo-US ties for the deals that will bring both of them closer to each other and allow India to grow in their defense.
    - India has sorted out lots of problems brewing up in Pakistan and moved forward to shake hands on new terms and to make healthy relations.
    - Strategies allowed Indians to have broader perspective of the things and to provide strategic cooperation with the United States and other countries.
    - India has done good to pacify the part of the Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of it so that it becomes difficult to handle and control the territorial gains by countries specially Pakistan. This way they can easily manage the incoming and outgoing of the people.
    - India is trying its best to implement strategies to build more relationship with United States and looking for strategic cooperation with them.
    - With its strategic advancement, they are able to pacify northwestern part of the subcontinent which becomes hard for anyone to handle and control.
    - India advanced to become an indispensable power in the Indian Ocean and southwestern pacific with their strategic planning and implementation.
    - Due to the strategies that have been implemented, India was able to resent the dominance of Anglo-American powers.
    - India made its boundaries very secure and brought innovations in foreign-policy like signing the pact with USA for nuclear deal or Russia for defense equipments.

    Against:

    - India has not done well in terms of maintaining the relationship with Afghanistan and Pakistan by compromising on securities, trade and allowing countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan to take advantage of India's silence.
    - India is quite aware of growing power of China and it is doing no advancement to control and ensure the development of technology in China and other places to keep themselves updated.
    - It has failed to keep up the strategic partnership with United States that could have ensured that China's development as well as rise would be peaceful.
    - The strategies of India didn't show enthusiasm for a crude, anti-china partnership with the United States. We have always been uneasy about the Beijing's territorial claims that are along the border.
    - India are into new financial troubles that have diplomatic as well as strategic implications to implement the condition of uneasiness and fear might occur in between the citizens.
    - Many disputes raised during the strategies being followed by India for eg. Dispute for the land with China and Pakistan.