Indian Diplomacy

How has India's foreign policy evolved in the seventy years since Independence? For that matter, what is the country's foreign policy? And what are the aspects that determine and shape it? If you've had questions such as these, Rajendra Abhyankar's Indian Diplomacy is the foreign policy primer you've been looking for. Charting the country's interactions with other countries from the early days of independence to now, Indian Diplomacy reviews the changes in stance. Lucidly written and well argued, the book covers these and other questions comprehensively, without fuss or bombast. A much-needed book in light of the sweeping changes on the global stage—and India's increasing role in them.

'Rajendra Abhyankar's comprehensive survey of contemporary Indian foreign policy demonstrates that India's material weakness limited but did not extinguish its capacity to pursue a humane vision of international relations. By carefully unpacking the past against the challenges on the horizon, Abhyankar has produced a refreshingly readable guide to understanding how India's growing ability and determination to act on its vision will shape the future global system in beneficial ways.' - Ashley J. Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 'A comprehensive and interesting account of the political, economic and strategic imperatives that have driven India's Foreign and National Security Policies from the days of Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi. Abhyankar's narrative covers the challenges India faced through the era of decolonization and the Cold War, to contemporary times, with an interesting blend of facts, data and analysis.' - Ambassador G. Parthasarathy, 'Over the past seventy years India has moved from its chosen position as a nonaligned commentator on the global stage to being one of its shapers. Yet, there are very few books that explain the whys and the hows of its policy. Rajendra Abhyankar's Indian Diplomacy provides a much needed structured and comprehensive look. As a practitioner of long standing, Abhyankar's lucid interpretation of the Indian foreign policy should interest the curious and the serious alike.' - Ambassador Rajiv Dogra

Rajendra M. Abhyankar teaches at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. He retired from the Indian Foreign Service as India's Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, and Luxembourg. He has been president at the Hinduja Foundation, Mumbai (2006—09); director and adviser at Asia Foundation, San Francisco, for their India Programme (2005—11); and director at Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi(2005—09).