| Summary/Abstract |
India’s Foreign Policy, under its first Prime Minister Nehru, had been well-known for its strict adherence to non-alignment vis-à-vis international conflict while focusing on anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, anti-racialism and apartheid besides world peace through panchsheel. This pacifist diplomacy was neither to result into blind submission or compliance of super or major powers nor should it prevent the development of strategic alliances that strengthen the country’s position in the international system. In fact, it was particularly aimed at achieving self-sufficiency for ensuring the country’s economic development as a precondition of political and social progress, stability and harmony. Perhaps Nehru had no faith in free trade, globalization and economic liberalization and foreign investment as instruments of socio-economic progress. Later Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi abandoned the idealistic vision of Pt. Nehru and pursued a more realistic foreign policy for securing the country’s national interests in the World. After the demise of Cold War, the foreign policy under PM NarasimhaRao and Dr.Manmohan Singh took several new steps like supporting globalization and economic liberalization, close cooperation or strategic partnership with the United States, forging ties with Israel and many more. India has now drawn lessons through various unprecedented incidents at the international level that the road to socio-economic development passes only through globalization and liberalization and global interconnectedness and interdependency. This was stated by PM Manmohan Singh: “Our government has
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