India's Foreign Policy and Security Challenges: Past and Present

• Published in: Indian foreign affairs journal : a quarterly of the Association of Indian Diplomats 2017-01, Vol.12 (1), p.74-82
• Main Author: Parthasarathy, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boundaries; Centuries; Economic growth; Foreign policy; Horizontal integration; National security; Power
• ISSN: 0973-3248; 2229-5372

Trade flourished from our western shores across the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, till European dominance of our sea-lanes gained ascendancy from the 18th century onwards. [...]India and China played a significant and even dominant role in world trade. Sadly, any objective analysis will show that, for almost five decades after Independence, our economic performance was dismal. According to the International Monetary Fund, the per capita income in India is 6.69 percent lower than the world's average. By the end in the next decade, we will have the most powerful Asian fleet across the Indian Ocean, with the deployment of 6 SSN and 6 SSN BN nuclear submarines, alongside two or even three aircraft carriers. [...]most importantly, China and India have embarked on an effort to develop contacts and confidence building measures between their militaries and border security forces, to see that tensions do not get out of hand by differing perceptions of where precisely the un-demarcated border/Line of Actual Control lies. [...]a few words are necessary on the structure, procedures, and processes governing the functioning of our Defence Establishment and, indeed, the entire Ministry of Defence.