Foreign Policy

It is important to be conversant with the Chinese thought process in order to deal with them. China respects authoritativeness and it is time that India signals its resolve and intent in dealing with issues of concern.

• Kasturi Moitra
• May 20, 2013
• IDSA Comments

Kenneth Waltz hailed as the ‘King of thought’ was a towering thinker in the field of IR. His two most important works, Man, The State, and War (1959) and Theory of International Politics (1979), provided a framework within which emerged the principal debate in IR.

• Rajesh Rajagopalan
• May 15, 2013
• IDSA Comments

From a Realist perspective, the key problem with a Nehruvian/Liberal approach to foreign policy is that it misunderstands power and ignores the centrality of balance of power politics in interstate relations.

• Rajesh Rajagopalan
• May 01, 2012
• IDSA Comments

While India’s ability to handle the challenges may be constrained by a slowing economy, it would need to manage them through requisite diplomatic skill and finesse.

• Arvind Gupta
• January 03, 2012
• IDSA Comments

This article assesses the shifting preferences of Bhutan towards the foreign policy determinants. Three determinants (national security, political culture and economic engagement) have been studied as they play a significant role in shaping Bhutan's policy behaviour. These determinants have been analysed with respect to India, Nepal and China, three countries that have been of critical interest to Bhutan's foreign policy.

• Medha Bisht
• January 2012
• Strategic Analysis

The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is widely misunderstood. On the one hand many experts regard the Iranian foreign policy as being essentially ideology driven while on the other hand a significant body of opinion believes that ideology is a convenient smokescreen for Iran's pursuit of its national interests. This paper examines the role of ideological, political and institutional actors in the context of the Islamic Republic's quest for consensus and cohesion.

• Mahan Abedin
• July 2011
• Strategic Analysis

The strategic outlook of the political, bureaucratic and military elites in Pakistan was shaped by historical exigencies, geopolitical location, Pakistan's self-perception, and its Islamic credentials. Pakistan's military-dominated leadership formulated strategies towards regional and extra-regional powers based on its threat perceptions. The strategies adopted have not necessarily resulted in fully achieving the objectives for which they were formulated.

• Sumita Kumar
• May 2011
• Strategic Analysis

India’s decision to abstain on the Libya vote shows its distaste for taking a clear position on international issues.

• Ramesh Phadke
• March 21, 2011
• IDSA Comments

The last few years have witnessed an incredible change in global communications as well as politics. The proliferation of 24/7 news channels, the spread of the Internet and the ready availability of mobile phones with digital cameras are having a profound impact on the international media and on the manner in which governments formulate their media strategies. At the same time, global issues like terrorism, climate change or even multilateral trade negotiations have come to be closely intertwined with the domestic political agenda.

• Navdeep Suri
• March 2011
• Strategic Analysis

Political, economic and strategic factors in the post-Cold War period call for expanded co-operation between India and Indonesia.

• Baladas Ghoshal
• January 20, 2011
• Issue Brief