BEXP 12A03 - Indian foreign policy

Half a century after Nehru's flamboyant reign (1947 – 1964), India is back on the world stage. His immediate successors were forced to concentrate on South Asia, home to so many wars between the 1960s and the 1980s: while Nehru viewed the world from a global perspective, his daughter, Indira Gandhi (1966 – 1984) and grandson, Rajiv Gandhi (1984 – 1989) focused on the region. Since the 1990s, India has been governed by leaders who have wanted to increase India's might – in particular from a military standpoint – and who, once more, have the means to conduct a global policy. They have opted to do so in a realistic fashion that appears to be at odds with Nehru's idealist approach. Yet, there is some obvious continuity between the non-alignment of the 1950s and today's plurilateralism: if India has never been closer to the US, it has retained a strong relationship with Russia. The rapprochement between New Delhi and DC, in fact, is overdetermined by China's rise, as evidenced by India's Indo-Pacific strategy which finds expression in the Quad, the Quadrilateral Security dialogue with the US, Japan and Australia. In the course, these themes will be studied by analysing the trajectories of India's bilateral relations with Pakistan, the US, China, Russia, South East Asia and the Middle East and, in a second part, by using transversal entry points, including the metamorphosis of the BRICS, the role of India in the UN system, New Delhi's Indo-Pacific strategy, the Indian army and defense policy, the role of the diaspora. By the end of this course, students will be equipped with new knowledge about the recent history of South Asia and with new methodological and analytical tools to navigate the complexities of International Relations and Global History.

Hemal THAKKER

Séminaire

English

Spring 2024-2025

To validate the course, the student is expected to complete two major assignments: 1°) the Mid-Term Exam Presentation (40%) will require students to deliver a 20-minute presentation on a specific topic related to India's bilateral relations or transversal themes, such as the Indo-Pacific strategy or BRICS. The presentation will be evaluated based on research depth, analytical insight, and clarity. 2°) the India's Foreign Policy Brief (50%) will involve a 2000-word written policy brief analyzing a contemporary issue in India's foreign policy. Students must identify the issue, assess challenges and opportunities, and propose actionable recommendations. 3°) Students will also be assessed on their overall participation in class debates (10%)

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of India's foreign policy, from its ideological foundations in the Nehruvian era to its contemporary plurilateral strategies. It 1 COURSE OUTLINE examines India's bilateral relations with key neighbors and global powers, while also exploring transversal themes such as India's role in multilateral institutions, the BRICS, the Indo-Pacific strategy, and the influence of the diaspora. By fostering critical analytical skills and promoting interdisciplinary methodologies, the course equips students to assess India's strategic decisions and its impact on global governance. Ultimately, it prepares students for advanced research by introducing key debates, case studies, and tools for analyzing complex international relations.