Indian Foreign and Security Policy in South Asia

Book excerpt: This book examines Indian foreign policy and security relations in its eastern regional neighbourhood. Indian Foreign and Security Policy in South Asia conducts an in-depth analysis into India’s foreign policy towards the three main countries in India’s Eastern neighbourhood – Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh. In particular, it deals with India’s role in the final years of the civil war in Sri Lanka, its approach to the peace and democratisation process in Nepal, and Indian foreign policy towards Bangladesh on a range of issues including Islamist militancy, migration, border security, and insurgency. Set within an analytical framework centred on the notions of ‘empire’, ‘hegemony’, and ‘leadership’, the study reveals that India pursued predominantly hegemonic strategies and was not able to generate genuine followership among its smaller neighbours. The South Asian case therefore shows the discrepancy that may exist between the possession of power capabilities and the ability to exercise actual influence: a conclusion which lifts the study from geographical specifics, and extends its relevance to other cases and cross-regional comparisons. This text will be of much interest to students of Indian foreign policy, Asian security, foreign policy analysis, strategic studies and IR in general.