| Publication |
2002.
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| Description |
39-72
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| Summary/Abstract |
In the mid-1950s, the Indian government eagerly embraced a leading role in international efforts to make peace in Indochina. Within a decade, however, India had lost much of its enthusiasm for the task and nearly all of its credibility as a mediator. This article asks why India deteriorated as a peacemaker between 1962 and 1967, years when other nations stepped up their efforts, albeit with little ultimate success, to mediate the Vietnam conflict. It argues that Indian diplomacy in Southeast Asia was limited by deep-seated problems that increasingly beset the country in its second decade of independence: Tensions with China and Pakistan constrained India's ability to hold an independent course in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, mounting political turmoil within India interfered with consistency in Indian foreign policy. Finally, reliance on foreign assistance rendered India vulnerable to pressure to modify its position on the war
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