2.1. 1947-1962: Internationalist, Idealist and Non-Aligned India

Independent India’s foreign policy was the result of multiple factors such as the legacy of national movement against the British rule, post-Second World War developments, domestic needs and personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Even the Indian constitution included a provision, under article 51, for promotion of international peace and security, wherein the state shall Endeavour to:

(a) Promote international peace and security;

(b) Maintain just and honourable relations between nations;

(c) Foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another; and

(d) encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.

The formative influence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is the feature of initial years of foreign policy of India which left a long lasting impact and polarised opinions for years to come. His vision included special status of India given its history, size and potential. It was a foreign policy predicated on internationalism, Afro-Asian Solidarity, anti colonialism and non alignment in the era of cold war power politics dominated by the two superpowers i.e. the USA and the USSR.

Even before India became Independent the Asian relations Conference was held in New Delhi from 23 March to 2 April 1947. Mr. Nehru observed “we stand at the end of an era and on the threshold of a new period of history... Asia, after a long period of quiescence, has suddenly become important again in world affairs”.

India was the first to suggest plebiscite as a peaceful method for resolving the Junagadh dispute with Pakistan. India made a similar offer for settling the Kashmir situation in 1947. The referral of Pakistan’s aggression in Kashmir to the United Nations in December 1947 is seen by many as a mistake on the part of India’s leadership in reposing its trust in international organisation such as the UN. According to J. Bandopadhyay Nehru’s attempt to combine both idealism and realism in his policy towards Kashmir affected certain aspects of the Kashmir diplomacy, and it would “conceivably have been different if dealt by someone else”. However, According to Rajiv Sikri, Nehru “was ready to take the war to Pakistan in 1948 when things were getting difficult in Jammu and Kashmir but was overruled by his British army chief. He took the Kashmir question to the United Nations under pressure from the British Governor General of India.”

Nonetheless, this initial experience at the UN further cemented scepticism towards the western world in India’s foreign policy. The result was a quest for charting a new path that involved newly independent countries of Asia and Africa and equidistance from the power politics of the day.

In this phase three key features characterized India’s foreign policy conduct. First, India played a significant role in multilateral institutions and particularly in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Second, it also emerged as a critical proponent of the nonaligned movement. Third, as a leader of the nonaligned movement it also made a significant contribution toward the process of decolonization. India’s in international participation was most visible in:

♤ International Control Commission in Vietnam along with Canada and Poland (1954),

♤ Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission in Korea (1952-54)

♤ United Nations Peacekeeping forces in the Belgian Congo (1960-1964)

India’s activism in this phase also reflected in the arena of disarmament, specifically the nuclear weapons. As one of the early proponents of a nuclear test ban treaty, in 1952 India introduced a draft resolution co-sponsored with Ireland to bring about a global ban on nuclear tests.