Question

Explain the main features of India’s foreign policy and mention the main challenges of India’s foreign policy at present.

Answer 1

Step 1: Feature 1: Non-alignment:
India's foreign policy was historically founded on non-alignment — refusing to join either Cold War bloc, while engaging independently with both, championed by Nehru and formalised through the Non-Aligned Movement (1961).

Step 2: Feature 2: Panchsheel and peaceful coexistence:
India has consistently emphasised the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel) — mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, and peaceful coexistence — as guiding norms in its diplomacy.

Step 3: Feature 3: Support for decolonisation and multilateralism:
India actively supported the independence struggles of other colonised nations and has been a strong advocate of the UN and multilateral institutions as forums for resolving disputes.

Step 4: Feature 4: Strategic autonomy in the present:
Post-liberalisation, India's policy has evolved toward pragmatic 'multi-alignment' — deepening ties simultaneously with the US, Russia, and others based on national interest, rather than any single bloc.

Step 5: Current challenges:
Key present-day challenges include managing an assertive China (border tensions, e.g. Doklam and Galwan), a persistently hostile Pakistan and cross-border terrorism, balancing ties between the US and Russia amid their rivalry, and securing India's due voice in global governance bodies including the UN Security Council.