As a former British colony, India is
a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and continues to maintain relationships
with other Commonwealth countries. Since gaining independence from Britain in
1947, however, India is now classified as a newly industrialized country and
has cultivated an extensive network of foreign relations with other states. As
a member state of BRICS - a repertoire of emerging major economies that also
encompasses Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, India also exerts a salient
influence as the founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement. In recent
decades, India has pursued a more expansive foreign policy that encompasses the
neighborhood first policy embodied by SAARC as well as the Look East policy to
forge more extensive economic and strategic relationships with other East Asian
countries. Moreover, India was one of the founding members of several international
organizations—the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, New Development
BRICS Bank, and G-20, widely considered the main economic locus of emerging and
developed nations.
India has also played an important
and influential role in other international organizations like East Asia
Summit, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund (IMF), G8+5 and IBSA
Dialogue Forum. India is also a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Regionally, India is a part of SAARC
and BIMSTEC. India has taken part in several UN peacekeeping missions, and as of June 2020, is
the fifth-largest troop contributor. India is currently seeking a permanent
seat in the UN Security Council, along with the other G4 nations.
HISTORY OF INDIAN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
India's international influence
varied over the years after independence. Indian prestige and moral authority
were high in the 1950s and facilitated the acquisition of developmental
assistance from both East and West. Although the prestige stemmed from India's
nonaligned stance, the nation was unable to prevent Cold War politics from
becoming intertwined with interstate relations in South Asia. On the intensely
debated Kashmir issue with Pakistan, India lost credibility by rejecting United
Nations calls for a plebiscite in the disputed area.
In the 1960s and 1970s India's
international position among developed and developing countries faded in the
course of wars with China and Pakistan, disputes with other countries in South
Asia, and India's attempt to match Pakistan's support from the United States
and China by signing the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in
August 1971. Although India obtained substantial Soviet military and economic
aid, which helped to strengthen the nation, India's influence was undercut
regionally and internationally by the perception that its friendship with the
Soviet Union prevented a more forthright condemnation of the Soviet presence in
Afghanistan. In the late 1980s, India improved relations with the United
States, other developed countries, and China while continuing close ties with
the Soviet Union. Relations with its South Asian neighbours, especially
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, occupied much of the energies of the Ministry
of External Affairs.
FOREIGN POLICY
India's foreign policy has always
regarded the concept of neighbourhood as one of widening concentric circles,
around a central axis of historical and cultural commonalities.
As many as 44 million people of
Indian origin live and work abroad and constitute an important link with the
mother country. An important role of India's foreign policy has been to ensure
their welfare and wellbeing within the framework of the laws of the country
where they live.
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
India's growing economy, strategic
location, mix of friendly and diplomatic foreign policy and large and vibrant
diaspora has won it more allies than enemies. India has friendly relations with
several countries in the developing world. Though India is not a part of any
major military alliance, it has close strategic and military relationship with
most of the fellow major powers.
Countries considered India's closest
include the Russian Federation, Israel, Afghanistan, France, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, and the United States. Russia is the largest supplier of military
equipment to India, followed by Israel and France. According to some analysts,
Israel is set to overtake Russia as India's largest military and strategic
partner. The two countries also collaborate extensively in the sphere of
counter-terrorism and space technology. India also enjoys strong military
relations with several other countries, including the United Kingdom, the
United States, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, South Africa and Italy. In addition,
India operates an airbase in Tajikistan, signed a landmark defence accord with
Qatar in 2008, and has leased out Assumption Island from Seychelles to build a
naval base in 2015.
India has also forged relationships
with developing countries, especially South Africa, Brazil, and Mexico. These
countries often represent the interests of the developing countries through
economic forums such as the G8+5, IBSA and WTO. India was seen as one of the
standard bearers of the developing world and claimed to speak for a collection
of more than 30 other developing nations at the Doha Development Round. Indian
Look East policy has helped it develop greater economic and strategic
partnership with Southeast Asian countries, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
India also enjoys friendly relations with the Persian Gulf countries and most
members of the African Union.
The Foundation for National Security
Research in New Delhi published India's Strategic Partners: A Comparative
Assessment and ranked India's top strategic partners with a score out of 90
points : Russia comes out on top with 62, followed by the United States (58),
France (51), UK (41), Germany (37), and Japan (34).
International Organizations
India participates in the following international organisations:
AALCO – Asian–African Legal
Consultative Organization
ADB – Asian Development Bank
AfDB – African Development Bank
(non-regional members)
AG – Australia Group
ASEAN Regional Forum
ASEAN (dialogue partner)
BIMSTEC – Bay of Bengal Initiative
for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
BIS – Bank for International
Settlements
BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa Commonwealth of Nations
CERN – European Organization for
Nuclear Research [446]
CP – Colombo Plan
EAS – East Asia Summit
FAO – Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
G-4
G-15
G-20
G-24
G-77
IAEA – International Atomic Energy
Agency
IBRD – International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)
ICAO – International Civil Aviation
Organization
ICC – International Chamber of
Commerce
ICRM – International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement
IDA – International Development
Association
IEA – International Energy Agency
IFAD – International Fund for
Agricultural Development
IFC – International Finance
Corporation
IFRCS – International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
IHO – International Hydrographic
Organisation
ILO – International Labour
Organization
IMF – International Monetary Fund
IMO – International Maritime
Organization
IMSO – International Mobile
Satellite Organization
Interpol – International Criminal
Police Organization
IOC – International Olympic
Committee
IOM – International Organization for
Migration (observer)
IPEEC – International Partnership
for Energy Efficiency Cooperation
IPU – Inter-Parliamentary Union
ISA – International Solar Alliance
ISO – International Organization for
Standardization
ITSO – International
Telecommunications Satellite Organization
ITU – International
Telecommunication Union
ITUC – International Trade Union
Confederation
ICFTU – International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
WCL – World Confederation of Labour
LAS – League of Arab States
(observer)
MIGA – Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency
MTCR – Missile Technology Control
Regime
NAM – Non-Aligned Movement
OAS – Organization of American
States (observer)
OPCW – Organisation for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
PCA – Permanent Court of Arbitration
PIF – Pacific Islands Forum
(partner)
SAARC – South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation
SACEP – South Asia Co-operative
Environment Programme
SCO – Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (member)
UN – United Nations
UNAIDS- United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS
UNCTAD – United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development
UNDOF – United Nations Disengagement
Observer Force
UNESCO – United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation
UNHCR – United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees
UNIDO – United Nations Industrial
Development Organization
UNIFIL – United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon
UNMEE – United Nations Mission in
Ethiopia and Eritrea
UNMIS – United Nations Mission in
Sudan
UNOCI – United Nations Operation in
Côte d'Ivoire
MONUSCO – United Nations
Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
UNWTO – World Tourism Organization
UPU – Universal Postal Union
WA – Wassenaar Arrangement
WCL – World Confederation of Labour
WCO – World Customs Organization
WFTU – World Federation of Trade
Unions
WHO – World Health Organization
WIPO – World Intellectual Property
Organization
WMO – World Meteorological
Organization
WTO – World Trade Organization
United Nations
India was among the original members
of the United Nations that signed the Declaration by United Nations at
Washington on 1 January 1942 and also participated in the United Nations
Conference on International Organization at San Francisco from 25 April to 26
June 1945. As a founding member of the United Nations, India strongly supports
the purposes and principles of the UN and has made significant contributions to
implementing the goals of the Charter, and the evolution of the UN's
specialised programmes and agencies. India is a charter member of the United
Nations and participates in all of its specialised agencies and organisations.
India has contributed troops to United Nations peacekeeping efforts in Korea,
Egypt and the Congo in its earlier years and in Somalia, Angola, Haiti,
Liberia, Lebanon and Rwanda in recent years, and more recently in the South
Sudan conflict. India has been a member of the UN Security Council for six
terms (a total of 12 years), and was a member for the term 2011–12. India is a
member of the G4 group of nations who back each other in seeking a permanent
seat on the security council and advocate in favour of the reformation of the UNSC.
India is also part of the Group of 77.
World Trade Organization
Described by the WTO's former chief,
Pascal Lamy, as one of the organisation's "big brothers", India was
instrumental in bringing down the Doha Development Round of talks in 2008. It
has played an important role of representing as many as 100 developing nations
during WTO summits.
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