Question

What according to neheru,are the main aims of,India foreign policy?

Answer 1

India’s foreign policy was conducted under the guidance of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India.

The shaping of India’s foreign policy was largely influenced by the international development after the Second World War, the weakening of the forces of imperialism and growth of the forces of democracy and progress.



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Several countries in the post war era in Europe and Asia broke away from the capitalist system to form the socialist system. There was an upsurge in the movements for national liberation that resulted in the collapse of the colonial system of imperialism.

The Indian National Congress party had as early as 1920s adopted a resolution expressing a desire to establish cooperation with the neighbouring countries.

But at that point the internal situation of India did not permit them to pay attention to international developments. It was mainly due to Nehru’s efforts that since the mid-twenties the Congress party began to take interest in international affairs.

The Congress resolved to support the subject peoples and races in their struggle for freedom and equality. They also decided to condemn racial discriminations throughout the world. After 1927 Nehru took an active part in formulating the foreign policy of the Congress that was in effect its first foreign policy statement.

It contained a declaration that India should not participate in imperialist and any other war. This position was taken up as the key foreign policy principle in late 1920s and 1930s. When in 1930s Japan, Italy and Germany engaged themselves in imperialist aggressions, the Congress condemned their brutal imperialist designs and passed resolutions to defend the cause of the nationalist forces in various countries such as China, Ethiopia, etc.

Answer 2

1. The preservation of India’s territorial integrity and independence of foreign policy: The territorial integrity and protection of national boundaries from foreign aggression is the core interest of a nation. India had gained a hard earnedindependence from foreign rule after long time. Thus, it was natural for her to give due emphasis on the independence of foreign policy. India’s effort to strengthen Afro-Asian solidarity endorsement of principles of non-interference, in the internal affairs of other nations and finally the adoption of the policy of non-alignment should be seen in this light.

2. Promoting international peace and security: India as a ‘newly independent and developing country rightly realized that international peace and development are correlated. Her emphasis on disarmament and the policy of keeping away from the military alliances is intended to promote global peace.

3. Economic development of India: Fast development of the country was the fundamental requirement of India at the time of independence. It was also required to strengthen the democracy and freedom in the country In order to gain financial resources and technology from both blocks and to concentrate her energy on the development, India opted away from the power block politics, which was the defining feature of cold war international politics. The foreign policy practice of India also reveals its two other objectives; 1. Elimination of colonialism and racial discrimination. 2. Protection of the interests of people of Indian origin abroad. An official statement of Ministry of External Affairs (2010) notes that India’s foreign policy seeks to safeguard her enlightened self-interest. Its primary objective is to promote and maintain a peaceful and stable external environment in which the domestic tasks of inclusive economic development and poverty alleviation can progress rapidly. Thus, India seeks a peaceful periphery and works for good neighborly relations in her extended neighborhood. India’s foreign policy also recognizes that the issues such as climate change, energy and food security are crucial for India’s transformation. Since these issues are global in nature, they require global solutions.