India’s foreign policy and the major events through history that shaped it are examined by Harsh V Pant and Anant Singh Mann in their recent book Power and Purpose: Rediscovering Indian Foreign Policy in Amrit Kaal. The book highlights the country’s development since gaining independence in 1947 within the framework of the international system. The writers have provided this analysis through four sections or waves in the book: Wave 1: 1947-64: State-building and the Nehruvian Outlook Wave 2: 1964-85: Regional Consolidation and Antagonisms Wave 3: 1985-2004: Opening up to the World Wave 4: 2004-Present: On the Path to Global Leadership.
The first wave in the book is a deep dive into Prime Minister Nehru’s strategy of building India’s foreign policy. A time that was also historically turbulent with partition made the need for a foreign policy in place all the more important. A closer look at the role India played in negotiating a resolution in the Korean War also paved the way for the country to understand the need for a foreign policy. The resolution led to India figuring out how its own peace and security are also dependent on regional and international relations.
“India’s willingness to rise to the occasion and engage internationally barely three years post-independence has remained representative of its awareness of the duty towards the global community,” says the book.
The first wave of the book mentions an extraordinary accomplishment with the first decade of independence. It was the Apsara nuclear reactor in 1946. The design was conceptualised by Dr Homi Bhabha in 1955, who is often considered the father of India’s nuclear programme. “Bhabha, essentially the founder of the Indian atomic energy programme, noted that the Apsara reactor was a critical stepping stone for India to begin mastering nuclear reactor technology.”
The second wave saw a significant shift of events, which led to policy becoming more realistic. This part of the book also marks a change in India’s perspective and is very gripping for readers who are interested in Indo-Pak, Indo-China, and Indo-Bangladesh relations. Among other events, this time also witnessed the devaluation of the rupee, the conflict along the border with China, the signing of the historic treaty with the USSR (Russia), and the liberation of Bangladesh.
“India’s finest victory in the 1971 War has been one of the defining moments for its foreign policy in the late twentieth century. The military triumph had elevated its status as the undisputed preeminent power in the subcontinent.”
The third wave in the book is divided into two parts. It begins with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to Beijing, the Soviet Union, and the formation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It also focuses on Rajiv Gandhi’s proposal for global nuclear disarmament. “The action plan had a built-in time frame that envisaged 2010 as the year by which the complete elimination of nuclear weapons would be realised.” The second part of the third wave consists of important events in shaping the foreign policy. Regionalism to globalism is the centre of this wave. It looks at establishing new partners and rearranging its equation with countries to accommodate the changing political and evolving economic goals.
The last wave looks at the years from 2004 to the present. This time span includes the Doklam issue, the Galwan Valley Clash, India’s refusal to join the West’s sanctions against Russia, and India’s G20 presidency. The various agreements between China and India and the historic Indo-US civil nuclear agreement is also part of this section of the book. This phase in the foreign policy signifies the accomplishment of India’s enduring search for a significant position in the global landscape.
A helpful resource for researchers as well as regular readers, it is for anyone who is simply curious about India’s role on the global stage. It reflects on the lasting impact of historical decisions on our collective future.