Panchsheel policy

In the year 1954 India and china signed the treaty of friendship called as panchsheel
treaty. The five principles of this strategy are:

 Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

 Mutual non-aggression.
 Mutual non - interference in each other’s internal affairs.
 Equality and cooperation for mutual benefit.
 Peaceful coexistence.
Panchsheel formed a basis for a principled approach to international relations and it was
suggested to guide the future of India china relationship.

How has Indian foreign policy evolved since Independence?

According to Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, evolution of Indian Foreign Policy can be

divided into six broad phases, each a response to a different strategic environment:

The first phase from 1946-62 could be characterized as an era of optimistic non-
alignment. Its setting was very much of a bipolar world, with camps led by the
United States and the USSR. India’s objectives were to resist the constraining of its
choices and dilution of its sovereignty as it rebuilt its economy and consolidated its
integrity. The 1962 conflict with China not only brought this period to an end, but in a
manner that significantly damaged India’s standing.
The second phase from 1962-71 is a decade of realism and recovery. India made
pragmatic choices on security and political challenges despite paucity of resources. It
looked beyond non-alignment in the interest of national security.
The third phase, from 1971 to 1991, was one of greater Indian regional assertion. It
started with the decisive dismantlement of India-Pakistan equivalence through
creation of Bangladesh, but ended with the IPKF misadventure in Sri Lanka. The
larger environment by now was dramatically different, The Indo-Soviet Treaty and
the adoption of more pro-Soviet positions on international issues were India’s
response to this challenge. The collapse of USSR, its close ally, and the not
unconnected economic crisis in 1991 compelled us to look again at the principles of
both domestic and foreign policy.

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 The dissolution of the USSR and the emergence of a "unipolar” world characterized
the fourth phase. It encouraged a radical rethink in India on a broad range of issues.
And it shifted focus to safeguarding strategic autonomy. If India opened up
economically more to the world, its reflection was also evident in new diplomatic
priorities and approaches. The Look East policy summarized the changed Indian
approach to world affairs, which also saw adjustments in its position on Israel. This is
a period where India reached out to engage the US more intensively.
This quest for strategic autonomy was particularly focused on securing its
nuclear weapon option, but also visible in trade negotiations. By the turn of the
century, enough had happened for India to now shift gear again and move to a higher
level. After 1998, it was now a declared nuclear weapon power, had fended off
Pakistan’s military adventurism again in Kargil in 1999, generated enough economic
growth to be of global interest, and managed well a United States that was focusing
more on developments in Asia and the consequences of Islamic fundamentalism.
The fifth phase is one where India gradually acquired the attributes of a balancing
power. It is reflected in the India-US nuclear deal as well as a better understanding
with the West at large. At the same time, India could also make common cause with
China on climate change and trade, and consolidate further ties with Russia while
helping to fashion BRICS into a major forum. This was, in some senses, a period of
opportunity where India moved the global needle by taking new positions.
Sixth phase (2014 onwards): India chose to turn to more energetic diplomacy. Our
ability to shoulder greater responsibilities is evident. Equally significant is a
willingness to shape key global negotiations, such as in Paris on climate change. The
investment of greater resources in development partnerships with countries of the
South was also noteworthy. And not least, the manner in which we have approached
our own region and the extended neighbourhood has resonated beyond. India’s
diplomatic agenda has broadened considerably, as indeed have its partners in those
endeavours. We share with the international community the objective that a multi-
polar world should have a multi-polar Asia at its core. And to ensure that, India needs
to follow an approach of working with multiple partners on different agendas.

Five pillars of India’s foreign policy

Foreign Secretary of India Harsha Vardhan Shringla has listed the five pillars of Indian

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diplomacy for strategic autonomy & global good.

The five pillars of Indian Diplomacy are:

 Multipolar focus: India places Neighborhood First, Act East and Think West and has
revitalized its approach to these policies.
 Diplomacy as an international force multiplier for the Government: Indian
diplomacy must be able to work with domestic partners and bridge them with
international interests to exploit the opportunities that will inevitably arise.
 Force for global good: This pillar ensures Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in action. For
example, India’s efforts in ensuring global vaccine supply through Vaccine
Diplomacy.
 Futuristic Outlook: It promotes efforts at rebalancing including our endeavor to
participate in the search for solutions to common problems. For example, despite our
development needs, India has shown strong commitment to climate action.
 Indian in thought: Indian diplomacy is guided by bearings that arise from Indian
thinking influenced over centuries by Kautilya’s Arthshastra or ancient texts such as
the Mahabharata and the Bhagvad Gita. It has led to three strands of Indian
diplomacy:
(1) Tradition of the Middle Path.
(2) Human-centric globalization.
(3) Need for strategic autonomy.

What is Strategic Autonomy?

Strategic autonomy denotes the ability of a state to pursue its national interests and adopt its
preferred foreign policy without being constrained in any manner by other states. Pursuing
strategic autonomy has been one of the cherished goals of India. India has been pursuing this
since days of NAM.

India’s policy of Strategic Autonomy: Key features

 Core security issues: India resist external pressure to change its policy or moderate
its interest on core issues of national security irrespective of the costs involved. For
example, core national interests like Jammu & Kashmir issue and nuclear weapons.

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  Non-core security issues: Under external pressure, India is likely to alter their policy
or moderate their interest on non-core security issues if the associated costs are
calculated to be disproportionate to the benefits that may accrue from persisting with
the preferred policy or interest. For example, India’s decision to vote against Iran in
the International Atomic Energy Agency under the pressure of United States

In today’s complex interdependence world, India needs to follow an approach of working

with multiple partners on different agendas like Climate Change, Terrorism etc. and hence
Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas is relevant in foreign policy. In some ways, the
contemporary shift from non-alignment to strategic autonomy in India is simply a case of
the catching up to reality in a multipolar world order. On the lines of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,
India should pursue an Independent Foreign policy in order to secure its interest and fulfill its
global aspirations. Following points highlight the need for Strategic Autonomy:

 Geostrategic balancing: India has always sought to maintain close diplomatic ties
with different groups, including those who consider the other as an enemy or a
competitor. For example, India’s concurrent diplomatic ties with Iran; while pursuing
strong relationships with US, Saudi Arabia and Israel (all of them consider Iran as an
outcast).
 Need for Multi alignment: Today’s world is characterized by complex
interdependence. Therefore, Indian foreign policy requires strategic hedging. For
example, due to strategic autonomy India has maintained strategic defence relation
with United States as well as it is keen to put forward S-400 deal with Russia.
 Need for greater realism in policy: India has realized that soft power diplomacy
alone is not sufficient for protecting the country’s interests and there is a need for
realism as well as pragmatism in Indian foreign policy. For example, India’s early
misreading of Pakistan’s and China’s intentions (Indo-Pak war 1948 & Sino India war
1962) led to Gilgit-Baltistan & part of Kashmir and Aksai Chin region now being
under the effective control of Pakistan and China respectively.

Challenges to India’s Strategic Autonomy:

 Hostile Neighbors: Pursuing policy of Strategic Autonomy requires no unsettled
international borders or no hostile neighbors.
 India’s dependence on western countries: India needs technology, capital, markets,

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 skills, defence equipment, international networking, and global cooperation to resolve
global issues. But critical or sensitive technology can come only at the behest of
compromising strategic autonomy.
 American unreliability: US sanctions on countries where India has a stake often
compromise its policy of Strategic Autonomy. For example, The North-South
Transport Corridor (NSTC) with Iran has stalled due to America’s threat of sanctions
and recent unexpected violation of the India’s exclusive economic zone by US during
a recent “freedom of navigation” operation (FONOP) in the Indian Ocean.
 Rise of Russia-China-Pakistan axis: A de facto Russia-China-Pakistan (RCP)
strategic axis has emerged in recent years which has made balancing act a difficult
one for India. For example, Russia has now promised a $14 billion investment in
Pakistan’s energy sector
 China’s dominance in South-Asia: Another change since 1971 is that China has
developed significant relations, chiefly economic, with India’s neighbors.

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