Write short notes on the following.
(a) India’s Nuclear policy
(b) Consensus in foreign policy matters
(a) India’s Nuclear policy
(b) Consensus in foreign policy matters
(a) India is a nuclear power and certainly matters globally. On conducting its first nuclear test in 1974 and then again in 1998, India declared itself as a nuclear weapons state. Pt. Nehru was against nuclear weapons and wanted India to play an important role in bringing about elimination of nuclear weapons and thus pleaded for comprehensive nuclear disarmament. However, in looking into the geopolitical compulsions like presence of a nuclear neighbour, that is, China, with the history of Chinese aggression, India was compelled to balance the power equation and, thus, was guided by its own national security interests to go ahead with nuclear tests declaring them as necessary evils.
India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) owing to its discriminatory nature and yet a nuclear weapons state despite its commitment to the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons. The Indian nuclear posture has always been rooted in ambiguity and has been a point of discussion. Soon after India declared itself a nuclear weapon state, Pakistan soon followed it and conducted nuclear tests, much to the condemnation of international community. Sanctions were imposed on both India and Pakistan, which were later waived of. India has also operationalised its ‘nuclear triad’ in 2013 with the nuclear submarine INS Arihant likely to be commissioned in 2014; it has successfully tested its first ICBM, the Agni V, etc.
However, India continues to stick to its nuclear policy guided by the principle of ‘no first use’ and reiterates country’s commitment to global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament leading to a nuclear weapons free world.
(b) The conduct of India’s foreign policy has been more or less based on consensus. Even though it was Pt. Nehru whose beliefs and ideals guided and shaped its foreign policy principles, though criticised by some for being idealistic in nature, our foreign policy generally involved and evolved after a series of negotiations and deliberations. Indian politics is generally marked by a broad agreement among the parties on national integration, protection of international boundaries and on questions of national interest.
Though there were some differences that existed, for instance, the Swantantra Party criticised India’s policy of NAM and wanted India to maintain closer ties with the US. Likewise, various parties that have come to power, have not made major changes in India’s foreign policy principles and have always been guided by national security interests. We may give example of the present government sticking to India’s stand of ‘no first use’ in terms of its nuclear policy.
(a) India is a nuclear power and certainly matters globally. On conducting its first nuclear test in 1974 and then again in 1998, India declared itself as a nuclear weapons state. Pt. Nehru was against nuclear weapons and wanted India to play an important role in bringing about elimination of nuclear weapons and thus pleaded for comprehensive nuclear disarmament. However, in looking into the geopolitical compulsions like presence of a nuclear neighbour, that is, China, with the history of Chinese aggression, India was compelled to balance the power equation and, thus, was guided by its own national security interests to go ahead with nuclear tests declaring them as necessary evils.
However, India continues to stick to its nuclear policy guided by the principle of ‘no first use’ and reiterates country’s commitment to global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament leading to a nuclear weapons free world.
(b) The conduct of India’s foreign policy has been more or less based on consensus. Even though it was Pt. Nehru whose beliefs and ideals guided and shaped its foreign policy principles, though criticised by some for being idealistic in nature, our foreign policy generally involved and evolved after a series of negotiations and deliberations. Indian politics is generally marked by a broad agreement among the parties on national integration, protection of international boundaries and on questions of national interest.
Though there were some differences that existed, for instance, the Swantantra Party criticised India’s policy of NAM and wanted India to maintain closer ties with the US. Likewise, various parties that have come to power, have not made major changes in India’s foreign policy principles and have always been guided by national security interests. We may give example of the present government sticking to India’s stand of ‘no first use’ in terms of its nuclear policy.
