Shifting alliances in world politics As you will read in Chapter Six and also in Chapter Eight, many non-Congress governments came to power in the period starting . This was also the time when world politics was changing dramatically. What did it mean for India’s external relations? The Janata Party government that came to power in announced that it would follow genuine non-alignment.
This implied that the pro-Soviet tilt in the foreign policy will be corrected. Since then, all governments (Congress or non-Congress) have taken initiatives for restoring better relations with China and entering into close ties with US. In Indian politics and in popular mind, India’s foreign policy is always very closely linked to two questions. One is India’s stand vis-à-vis Pakistan and the other is Indo-US relations.
In the post- period the ruling parties have often been criticised for their pro-US foreign policy. Foreign policy is always dictated by ideas of national interest. In the period after , Russia, though it continues to be an important friend of India, has lost its global pre- eminence. Therefore, India’s foreign policy has shifted to a more pro-US strategy.
Besides, the contemporary international situation is more influenced by economic interests than by military interests. This has also made an impact on India’s foreign policy choices. At the same time, Indo-Pakistan relations have witnessed many new developments during this period. While Kashmir continues to be the main issue between the two countries, there have been many efforts to restore normal relations.
This means that cultural exchanges, movement of citizens and economic cooperation would be encouraged by both countries. Do you know that a train and a bus service operate between these two countries? This has been a major achievement of the recent times. But that could not avoid the near-war situation from emerging in .
Even after this setback to the peace process, efforts at negotiating durable peace have been going on.