Volume 17, No. 1, 2020
Indian Foreign Policy And Challenges In Extended Neighborhood
Gull Mohd Wani
Abstract
India's neutral position on Russian invasion of Ukraine is still a subject- matter of debate in policy and academic circles. Different political parties and leaders in India stated their position on this policy stance. The opposition parties supported PM Modi but some Congress leaders promptly pointed out that Jawaharlal Nehru's policy of Non-Alignment(NAM) has stood the test of the time. It was during the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation organization(SCO) at Samarkand that PM Modi advised the Russian President Mr Putin "now is not an era of war" thereby emphasizing a sort of shift in Indian policy. Multialignment is becoming the defining feature of Indian foreign policy in a global order in which India is expected to play important role in international relations. Some commentators found in Modi a leader with ideas for building a better regional and global order. The policy stance on Ukraine has only confirmed it. The recent(December 6, 2022) India- Central Asia National Security Advisors meeting in Delhi is an indication of new dynamism in foreign affairs.The framework for this paper is constitutive of two parts .First to explain conceptual understanding of shift in foreign policy of India from cold war times to a much-diffused contemporary global order. This needs to be understood by the shift from "Non-alignment" to Multialignment. The G20 leadership should provide India more leverage to focus on global south and thereby regain the leadership of developing world diluted by weakening of Non-Aligned movement. In the second part the focus shall be on how India -Central Asia connectivity is going to be helpful for regional stability.
Pages: 722-727
Keywords: The Non-alignment as a principle of foreign policy evolved under India's, first prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who personally presided over the new establishment in independent India.