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This short introduction provides a clear and succinct account of the evolution of Indian foreign policy over six decades since Independence. It explains how the three approaches to the study of international politics-decision-making, systemic/global, and national/domestic-have helped in formulating and implementing India's foreign policies.

The five chapters cover the ideational period, starting immediately after Independence and ending with the Sino-Indian border war of 1962; the period between 1962 and the end of the Cold War; India's greater acceptance of the importance of material capabilities following the end of the Cold War; and current trends and debates in Indian foreign policy, unresolved tensions, and the possible way ahead.

Contents: 1. Organization and structure. 2. The palimpsest of the past. 3. The fate of non-alignment. 4. Coping with the cold war's end. 5. Forging a new consensus? Appendix. Notes. Bibliography. Index.