India’s Foreign Policy Online Test 10th Social Science Lesson 20 Questions in English

Foreign policy can be defined as a country’s policy that is conceived, designed and formulated to safeguard and promote her national interests in her external affairs, in the conduct of relationships with other countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

The foreign Service Training Institute was established in 1986 provides training for officers of Indian Foreign Services (IFS).

The Ministry of External Affairs of India also known as Foreign Ministry comes under Government of India is responsible for the conduct of foreign relations of India. The foreign Service Training Institute was located at New Delhi.

Nations have also been interdependent. Interdependence has been an incontrovertible fact of international relations. An objective and goal-oriented foreign policy has the potential to achieve improved relations with other nations and accelerate growth.

The main tools of foreign policy are treaties and executive agreements, appointing ambassadors, foreign aid, international trade and armed forces.

The Constitution of India 1950 Article 51 Lays down Directive Principles of India’s foreign policy. The state shall endeavour to 1. Promote International peace and security 2. Maintain just and honourable relations between nations 3. Foster respect for international law and international organisation 4. Encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration

Main Objectives of Our Foreign Policy 1. National security 2. National prosperity 3. Increasing the number of friendly nations 4. Achieving world peace and enable every nation to peacefully co-exist Economic development

The Buddha advocated avoidance of force and adoption of peaceful means to settle disputes between states.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence between India (Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru) and China (Premier Chou-En-Lai) was signed on 28 April 1954.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence signed between India and china is known as panchsheel.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were incorporated in the Bandung Declaration signed in the Afro-Asian Conference held in 1955 in Indonesia.

The principles of panchsheel are 1. Mutual non-aggression 2. Mutual non-interference 3. Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty’s 4. Equality and co-operation for mutual benefit 5. Peaceful co-existence.

The period from Independence through 1950s and 1960s constituted the most idealistic phase of India’s foreign policy under the guidance of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Basic Determinants of a Foreign Policy 1. Geographical position and size of territory 2. Nation’s history, traditions and philosophical basis 3. Natural resources 4. The compulsion of economic development.

Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, was opposed to the rivalry of the two superpowers (America and Russia) who were trying to extend their influence over the newly emerged nations of Asia and Africa.

The term ‘Non-Alignment’ was coined by V. Krishna Menon in his speech at the United Nations.

Non-alignment has been regarded as the most important feature of India’s foreign policy. It aimed to maintain national independence in foreign affairs by not joining any military alliance.

Non-Aligned Movement was the largest political grouping of countries in a Multilateral-fora. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was formed with a membership of 120 countries and 17 states as observers and 10 international organisations. Another noteworthy fact is that it has transformed from a political movement to an economical movement.

The aim of India’s foreign policy of that time was ‘world co-operation, world peace, end of colonial imperialism, racial equality and non-alignment’.

The founding fathers of Non-Aligned Movement: Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Tito of Yugoslavia, Nasser of Egypt, Sukarno of Indonesia, and Kwame Nkumarah of Ghana were the founding fathers of NAM

The Non-alignment roots did not prevent India from entering into an alignment with the Soviet Union by the Indo-Soviet treaty of 1971 (20-year pact of ‘peace, friendship and co-operation’)

India embarked on a substantial programme of military modernisation. In 1974, India also conducted its first nuclear test.

In 1974, India also conducted its first nuclear test at Pokhran under Subterranean Nuclear Explosions Project.

India conducted its first nuclear test in response to China’s nuclear test in 1964 at Lop Nor.

India withstood three wars with Pakistan during cold war period. The disastrous Sino-Indian conflict would not make Non-alliance un-pragmatic and it revealed inadequacy in military build-up.

India withstood two wars with Pakistan during cold war period. The disastrous Sino-Indian conflict would not make Non-alliance un-pragmatic and it revealed inadequacy in military build-up. Avoidance of military blocs was then not an option but a necessity. Non-alliance did not mean demilitarisation of nations.

During the 1990’s along with the fall of the Soviet Union, a new global economic order called Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation (LPG) emerged with the support of the western powers.

During the 1990’s Unipolar (USA centric) world along with the emerging new economic order compelled the nations including India to revise their foreign and economic policies.

Better relations with China – the Look East Policy (1992)

India vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency

The second nuclear test at Pokhran in Rajasthan took place in 1998

By this, we mean making possible the transformation of India’s economy and society while promoting our values of pluralism. From a foreign policy perspective, economic prosperity is now seen as the key to India’s attainment of a Great Power status.

Members of BRICS are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.

Basic Concepts of India’s Foreign Policy are 1. Preservation of national interest 2. Achievement of world peace 3. Disarmament 4. Fostering cordial relationship with other countries.

The two themes of India’s nuclear doctrine are 1. No first use 2. Credible minimum deterrence. It has decided not to use nuclear power for ‘offensive purposes’ and would never use against any non-nuclear state.

Our tradition and national ethos are to practice disarmament. As a peace-loving nation, India champions the cause of qualitative and quantitative disarmament right from the beginning.

SAARC is an economic and geopolitical organisation of eight countries that are primarily located in South Asia. The SAARC policies aim to promote welfare economics, collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia and to accelerate socio-cultural development in the region.

SAARC Disaster Management Centre was set up at New Delhi. The Centre is a sleek body of professionals working on various dimensions of disaster risk reduction and management in South Asia.

SAARC satellite is a proposed communication– cum-meteorology satellite by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the SAARC region.

The member countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Foreign Policy is a combination of strategies carefully formulated by a nation for maintaining relationship with other nations.

Basic Concepts of India’s Foreign Policy are 1. Solving conflicts by peaceful means 2. Independence of thought and action as per the principle of NAM 3. Equality in conducting international relations 4. Anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, antiracism

Diplomacy is the instrument for implementing foreign policy of a state.

South East Asia begins with North East India. Myanmar is our land bridge to the countries of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The purpose is to ensure a stable and multipolar balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and to become an integral part of Asia.

The eastern policy emphasises a more productive role for ASEAN and East Asian countries. The three big elements in our eastern policy are stronger emphasis on physical connectivity, commercial and security-related.

Article 51 of Indian constitution directs to adopt foreign policy.

The Ministry of External Affairs is responsible for carrying out the foreign policy of India.

Today India has formal diplomatic relations with most of the nations, besides being the world’s second most populous country, largest democracy and one of the fastest growing country. Though India is not in any major military alliance, our relations with the major powers have acquired a strategic depth.

The Panchaseel treaty has been signed between India and China.

Singapore is not the founder member of Non-Alignment Movement.

Apartheid is a policy of racial discrimination existed in south Africa until 1990’s.

Thus, India adheres to the foreign policy principle that ‘in international relations there is no permanent friend and no permanent foe, only the interests are permanent’.

Domestic policy is the nation’s plan for dealing issues within its own nation.

Domestic policy includes laws focusing on domestic affairs, social welfare, health care, civil rights, economic issues and social issues.

Basic Determinants of a Foreign Policy are 1. Political stability and structure of government 2. The necessity of peace, disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons 3. Military strength 4. International milieu.

Member countries of IBSA are India, Brazil, South Africa