Part Three
GUIDELINES FOR FOREIGN POLICY
The foreign policy of a country is dictated in the first place by its perceived national interests. It is also shaped by the nation's history, social system and tradition. In the case of India, the guiding principles of its foreign policy have been the striving for peace in the world, willingness to work on the basis of peaceful co-existence and friendly co-operation with all nations of the world, aspirations for an equal and just economic order at home end in the world at large, and unfailing support to the struggle for freedom and human dignity.
In this era of people's diplomacy, it is very right and necessary that the foreign policy of a country is viewed in the people's forum from time to time. We have tried to make our foreign policy a dynamic and flexible instrument for projecting India's views and safeguarding her interests. The objectives of Indian foreign policy are to promote the cause of peace and international co-operation, as we believe that this would secure the interests not only of India but also of the entire international community.
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Self-reliance in foreign policy
The conduct of foreign policy is the prerogative of the government. But the issues and problems the foreign office has to grapple with are becoming more complex and those engaged in the application of foreign policy work under the pressure of day-to-day events. It is therefore desirable that these complex issues be studied in an unhurried fashion by persons who can take a long-range view of the events. It is from this point of view that I welcome the establishment of the Institute of International Affairs in Bombay. Very often when we look at the isolated events together, they reveal an underlying trend or current which is not apparent when we look at them separately.
With the advance of technology in communication, mass media, weapons system and transportation, we have reached a stage at which substantial changes can take place swiftly, upsetting the precarious calculations of academicians, diplomatists and practitioners in the field of foreign policy. In this fast-changing world, it is imperative for us to analyse and study the global and regional trends which are often contradictory.
Need for "In-depth" Study
