“We are heading towards a mixed international system. And I say our foreign policy must have a certain world framework in which to operate-non-alignment, anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism and peace. All these are the principles which were laid down by Jawaharlal Nehru. But, at the same time, we must have an evolving world situation, frame-work of an evolving world situation in which to operate, and say that we are leading towards a mixed international system in which both the allies and the adversaries will be held in a situation of growing fundamental co-operation. We are in the midst of a transformation, certainly a drastic modification of the structure of international relations.”
This is his assessment and I would say, well, by and large, yes. Naturally, no country, particularly no country of India’s status and experience can work its foreign policy without having an international framework for it. I would like to say that the foreign policy of India has, from the very beginning operating within this international framework. Because, the policy of non-alignment, though it was meant for India, really speaking, has international ramifications. It is, in itself, an international framework and it has positive ingredients of anti-imperialism and anti-neo-colonialism, working for peace and disarmament. These are, really speaking international approaches and it , on this basis that the non-alignment movement has been built. When we say that our foreign policy is non-alignment, it is not something negative. It is a composite concept; consisting of certain positive elements in it and these positive elements, really speaking, are the international framework of the policy. Not that we have to now evolve some framework because the world is now evolving. I think, the international framework is there and the new elements of the international situations are certainly taken into consideration.
Just this morning, I was going through a booklet. Possibly some of you might have seen it. It is by one of our young diplomats. Certain articles on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru appear in it. The booklet is called ‘The Legacy of Nehru’. It is edited by Shri Natwar Singh. In it I came across tributes paid by Martin Luther King, Jr., famous leader of the black movement. As a matter of fact, he was a leader of humanity, though he was working for the cause of Black America. He was certainly a leader of mankind as a whole. He paid these tributes some time in 1965. I was rather amazed, when I saw the insight of the man, the way he looked at Pandit Nehru’s life. I am mentioning this because it relates to foreign policy; it is not just to say something about Pandit Nehru. He said : “Jawaharlal Nehru was a man of three extraordinary epochs”.
I will only read a part of it; I do not want to read the whole of it. “He was a leader in the long anti-colinial struggle to free his own land and to inspire a fighting will in other lands under bondage.”
This was his first epoch. The second epoch was : “He lived to see victory and to move then to another epochal confrontation - the fight for peace after World War II. In this climatic struggle he did not have Gandhi at his side, but he did have the Indian people, now free in their own great Republic. It would be hard to overstate Nehru’s and India’s contributions in this period. It was time fraught with the constant threat of a devastating finality for mankind. There was no moment in this period free from the peril of atomic war. In these years, Nehru was a towering world force skillfully inserting the peace - will of India between the ranging antagonisms of the great powers of East and West.”
And this third epoch was - I will read this out and I would like to invite your attention to this particularly - “The third epoch of Nehru’s work in unfolding after his death. Even though his physical presence is gone, his spiritual influence retains a living force. The great powers are not yet in harmonious relationship to each other, but with the help of the non-aligned world they have learned to exercise a wise restraint. In this is the basis for a lasting detente. Beyond this, Nehru’s example in daring to believe and act for peaceful co-existence gives mankind its most glowing hope.”
