Abstract
India has long viewed itself as the natural hegemon of South Asia, explaining why it has traditionally shown considerable hostility towards what it perceives as extra-regional powers ‘meddling’ in ‘its’ region. Extra-regional powers have typically upset India most by supporting Pakistan, India’s implacable foe. Arguably, USA aid to Pakistan was first provided primarily to ensure Pakistan remained a committed Cold War ally, and later to ensure it remained an effective partner in the War on Terror; but it also had the (largely unintended) effect of facilitating Pakistani antagonism towards India. China’s support for Pakistan, however, has always been unambiguously directed towards distracting, even weakening India. In the contemporary era, China’s rise has facilitated an ever-closer Indo-American relationship, as both sides seek to soft balance against Beijing. And while China continues to prop up Pakistan, it is also seeking to increase its influence in other South Asian states, most notably in Sri Lanka. But India is also rising, with an ever-expanding economy and concomitant rises in defence spending, meaning it remains just as determined as ever to establish itself as the regional hegemon. Accordingly, it is likely that Indian hostility towards what it regards as ‘nefarious’ Chinese ‘interference’ in South Asia will likely increase in future.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Bloomfield (2018a).
- 2.
Cohen (2015), pp. 353–354.
- 3.
Ibid., p 348; Bajpai (2015), p. 27.
- 4.
Garver (1996), p. 323–347.
- 5.
- 6.
Cohen (2001), pp. 38–39.
- 7.
Kennedy (2015), pp. 92–101.
- 8.
Cohen (2001), p. 51.
- 9.
Bhasin (2008), p. 9.
- 10.
- 11.
- 12.
Swamy (2013), chapter 3.
- 13.
Bajpai (2014), pp. 133–135.
- 14.
Golwalkar (1966), pp. 271–272.
- 15.
- 16.
Karnad, (2014), p. 208.
- 17.
- 18.
Chatterjee-Miller (2013), p. 9.
- 19.
Buzan and Waever (2003), p. 120.
- 20.
Quoted in Kapur (2010), pp. 255–256.
- 21.
Cohen (2001), p. 272.
- 22.
Tellis (2015), p. 483.
- 23.
Cohen (2001), pp. 270–271.
- 24.
Kapur (2010), p. 257.
- 25.
Garver (2010), pp. 86–92.
- 26.
Ganguly and Pardesi (2009), p. 8.
- 27.
Cohen (2001), p. 277.
- 28.
Virk (2013), p. 60.
- 29.
Cohen (2001), p. 58.
- 30.
Ibid., pp. 135–136.
- 31.
Ibid., p. 202.
- 32.
Pant (2012), p. 84.
- 33.
Cohen (2001), p. 85–87.
- 34.
Bajpai (1983), pp. 118–119.
- 35.
Quoted in Malone (2011), p. 50.
- 36.
Raghavan (2013).
- 37.
Buzan and Waever (2003), p. 125.
- 38.
Brewster (2015).
- 39.
Bloomfield (2018b).
- 40.
Koithara (1975), pp. 227–237.
- 41.
Cohen (2001), pp. 137–138.
- 42.
Hagerty (1991), pp. 351–352.
- 43.
Bhasin (2008), p. 13.
- 44.
Malone (2011), p. 50.
- 45.
Dutt (1990), p. 78.
- 46.
Cohen (2001), pp. 249–250.
- 47.
Bloomfield (2016), pp. 77–78.
- 48.
- 49.
Tendulkar and Bhavani (2007).
- 50.
Murthy (1999), pp. 639–640.
- 51.
Ibid., p. 641.
- 52.
Ibid., pp. 646–647.
- 53.
Bhasin (2008), p. 14.
- 54.
Ibid., p. 13–15.
- 55.
Bloomfield (2016), p. 89.
- 56.
Ibid., p. 166.
- 57.
Singh (2016), pp. 112–127.
- 58.
Anderson and Verma (2015), pp. 97–98.
- 59.
Tandon (2016), p. 350.
- 60.
Bagchil (2015).
- 61.
Pokharel (2015).
- 62.
Ministry of External Affairs (2015).
- 63.
Haidar and Joseph (2017).
- 64.
Hall (2015).
- 65.
Tandon (2016), pp. 351–352.
- 66.
Malik (2012), pp. 345–376.
- 67.
Ministry of Defence (Navy) (2013), pp. 31–32.
- 68.
Ministry of External Affairs (2017).
- 69.
Basu (2017).
- 70.
Reuters (2017).
- 71.
Parashar (2017).
- 72.
- 73.
Gupta (2011), p. 1.
- 74.
Kilnani et al. (2012).
- 75.
Rosen and Jackson (2017).
References
Aiyar, M. S. (2012). India’s foreign policy. In Matoo (Ed.), Reluctant superpower: Understanding India and its Aspirations. Melbourne: Australia-Asia Institute.
Anderson, W., & Verma, S. (2015). Washington’s India pivot: Is it compatible with Modi’s Asia ambitions? India Quarterly, 71(2).
Bagchil, I. (2015). Sharif invites, Modi accepts, as simple as that. Times of India, 26 December.
Bajpai, U. S. (1983). India’s security: The politico-strategic environment. Lancers: New Delhi.
Bajpai, K. (2014). Indian grand strategy: Six schools of thought. In K. Bajpai, S. Basit, and V. Krishnappa. (Eds.), India’s grand strategy: History, Theory, Cases. Routledge, New Delhi.
Bajpai, K. (2015). Five approaches to Indian foreign policy. In D. M. Malone, C. R. Mohan, and S. Raghavan (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Indian Foreign Policy. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Basu, N. (2017). China buys Hambantota port: Should India be concerned? The Diplomat, 29 July.
Bhasin, M. (2008). India’s role in South Asia: Perceived hegemony or reluctant leadership? Indian Foreign Affairs Journal, 3(4).
Bloomfield, A. (2016). India and the responsibility to protect. Farnham: Ashgate.
Bloomfield, A. (2018a). What does New Delhi’s engagement with the war in Syria (and Iraq) reveal about India as an international actor? India Review, 17(2).
Bloomfield, A. (2018b). The US in the Indian Ocean. In A. Tan (Ed.), Handbook of the United States in Asia. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Brewster, D. (2015). Indian strategic thinking about the Indian Ocean: Striving towards strategic leadership. India Review, 14(2), 224.
Buzan, B., & Waever, O. (2003). Regions and powers: The structure of international security. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chandra, B. (1966). The rise and growth of economic nationalism in India. New Delhi: People’s Publishing House.
Chatterjee-Miller, M. (2013). Wronged by empire: Post-imperial ideology and foreign policy in India and China. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Cohen, S. P. (2001). India: Emerging power. Washington: Brookings Institution.
Cohen, S. P. (2015). India and the region. In D. M. Malone, C. R. Mohan, & S. Raghavan (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of Indian foreign policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dutt, V. P. (1990). India and the world. New Delhi: Sanchar Publishing House.
Frankel, F. R. (2005). India’s political economy, 1947–2004: The gradual revolution (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Ganguly, S., & Mukherji, R. (2011). India since 1980. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Ganguly, S., & Pardesi, M. S. (2009). Explaining sixty years of Indian foreign policy. India Review, 8(1).
Garver, J. W. (1996). Sino-Indian rapprochement and the Sino-Pakistan Entente. Political Science Quarterly, 111(2).
Garver, J. W. (2010). Evolution of India’s China Policy. In Ganguly (Ed.), India’s foreign policy: Retrospect and Prospect. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Golwalkar, M. S. (1966) Bunch of thoughts (pp. 271–272). Bangalore: Vikrama Prakashan.
Green, M., & Shearer, A. (2012). Defining US Indian ocean strategy. Washington Quarterly, 35(2).
Gupta, S. (2011). US–India ties: The limits to defense cooperation with New Delhi. Pacific Forum, 38(5).
Hagerty, D. T. (1991). India’s regional security doctrine. Asian Survey, 31(4).
Haidar, S., & Joseph, J. (2017). Army Chief Rawat going into detail on Myanmar surgical strike leaves Govt. Red-Faced. The Hindu, December 3.
Hall, I. (2015). Is a “Modi Doctrine” emerging in Indian foreign policy? Australian Journal of International Affairs, 29(3).
Kapur, S. P. (2010). India and the United States from World War II to the present: A relationship transformed. In S. Ganguly (Ed.), India’s foreign policy: Retrospect and prospect. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Karnad, B. (2014). An elephant with a small footprint: The realist roots of India’s strategic thought and policies. In K. Bajpai, S. Basit, and V. Krishnappa (Eds.), India’s Grand Strategy: History, Theory, Cases. New Delhi: Routledge.
Kennedy, A. B. (2015). Nehru’s foreign policy. In D. M. Malone, C. R. Mohan, and S. Raghavan (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Indian Foreign Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kilnani, S., Kumar, R., Mehta, P. B., Menon, P., Nilekani, N., Raghavan, S. (2012). Nonalignment 2.0: A foreign and strategic policy for India in the twenty first century. Delhi: Centre for Policy Research.
Koithara, V. (1975). India and the Indian Ocean. July-September: USI of India Journal.
Malik, M. (2012). India balances China. Asian Politics and Policy, 4(3).
Malone, D. M. (2011). Can the elephant dance: Contemporary Indian foreign policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Matoo, A. (2012). Introduction. In A. Matoo (Ed.), The reluctant superpower: understanding India and its aspirations. Melbourne: Australia–Asia Institute.
Ministry of Defence (Navy). (2013). Ensuring secure seas: Indian maritime security strategy. New Delhi: Ministry of Defence.
Ministry of External Affairs. (2015). Transcript of media briefing by official spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup). 15 October.
Ministry of External Affairs. (2017). Official spokesperson’s response to a query on participation of India in OBOR/BRI Forum. May 13.
Murthy, P. (1999). The Gujral doctrine and beyond. Strategic Analysis, 23(4).
Naoroji, D. (1962 [1867]). Poverty and Un-British rule in India. New Delhi: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
Pant, H. V. (2012). The Pakistan thorn in China–India–US relations. Washington Quarterly, 35(1).
Pant, H., & Yogesh, J. (2014). The American pivot and the Indian navy: Its hedging all the way. Naval War College Review, 68(1).
Parashar, S. (2017). Sri Lanka to offer India port development to balance out China. Economic Times, 19 April.
Pokharel, S. (2015). Nepal accuses India of “Trade Blockade” Amid Fuel Crisis. CNN, October 3, 2015.
Raghavan, S. (2013). 1971: A global history of the creation of Bangladesh. Ranikhet: Permanent Black.
Rajogopalan, R., & Sahini, V. (2008). India and the great powers: Strategic imperatives, normative necessities. South Asian Survey, 15(1).
Reuters. (2017). Sri Lanka limits China role in Hambantota port to ease Indian concerns, July 25.
Rosen, M., & Jackson, D. (2017). The US–India defense relationship: Putting the foundational agreements in perspective. CAN: Analysis and solutions, February.
Sagar, R. (2014). “Liski Lathi, Uski Bhains”: The Hindu nationalist view of international politics. In K. Bajpai, S. Basit, & V. Krishnappa (Eds.), India’s grand strategy: History, theory, cases. Routledge, New Delhi.
Singh, M. A. (2016). ‘Narendra Modi and Northeast India: Development insurgency and illegal migration. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 9(2).
Swamy, S. (2013). Virat Hindu identity: Concept and its power. New Delhi, Har-Anand Publications, Chap. 3.
Tandon, A. (2016). India’s foreign policy priorities and the emergence of a Modi doctrine. Strategic Analysis, 40(5).
Tellis, A. (2015). US–India relations: The struggle for and enduring partnership. In D. M. Malone, C. R. Mohan, and S. Raghavan (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Indian Foreign Policy. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Tendulkar, S., & Bhavani, T. A. (2007). Understanding reforms: Post-1991 India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Virk, K. (2013). India and the responsibility to protect: A tale of ambiguity. Global Responsibility to Protect, 5(1).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bloomfield, A. (2019). Indian Foreign Policy and Extra-Regional Powers. In: Ranjan, A. (eds) India in South Asia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2020-0_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2020-0_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-2019-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-2020-0
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)