|
The current issue of Diplomatist effectively captures the main sparks in the diplomatic arena. The article on India’s six decades of foreign policy makes an effort to evaluate the philosophical underpinnings of India’s post-independent foreign policy and its subsequent transformation into a serious player in global diplomacy.
As the champion of developing countries India tried to become the voice of the underdogs. The challenges that Indian foreign policy faced were numerous. India had its struggle in coping with the pulls and pressures of the cold war period. A soft replication of the Soviet model in its economy and outlook had India being branded as a camp follower of the erstwhile Soviet Union, despite its avowed commitment to non-alignment policy that entailed equidistance from the global super powers.
Over the years, India changed and new contours were added to its foreign policy, more as adjuncts to its strategic and economic interests. Its emergence as one of the fastest growing economies of the world, consequent to the economic reforms initiated in the early nineties with investment-friendly policies and home grown IT capabilities impacted foreign policies as well.
Yet another article discusses the ramifications of the nuclear deal that India and the United States are entering into for civilian nuclear power generation. It explores the willingness of the US to do nuclear commerce with India despite India’s avowed refusal to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the geo-political compulsions of both countries in arriving at the deal and the dilemma that India faces in hammering a domestic political consensus on the issue.
In the new age diplomacy, business is a critical component. We acknowledge it and the cover feature on the Packaging sector is an effort to take care of that. The treatment of the story is more analytical and largely discusses its growth, challenges and opportunities. India’s growing economy is fuelling consumerism and throwing up huge demand for packaging products. It is to our satisfaction that we have done justice to a sector that is largely ignored in other publications.
I am sure this issue will also be noted for its judicious mix of content, ranging from country profiles of Botswana and Lesotho to a comprehensive coverage of the visit of the Mexican President to India.
Before I sign off, it is my pleasure to announce that we are starting a new section in the magazine—Diplomatic News, that will capture the latest news, activities, announcements and events at all diplomatic missions in India and abroad with a bilateral angle. |
