India’s foreign policy involves the influencing of international agenda and shaping of global narratives drawing on our own history and culture, besides taking a long and deliberative view of the challenges that the world faces, Union Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said on February 26.
He was delivering the H.N. Kunzru Memorial Lecture on the topic “Bharat and the World” at the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University. “Our approach should not be clouded by imported ideologies and global conformism. Instead, there is a self-assured analysis on how our national goals are best advanced, coupled with the experiences we share with others and the empathy this generates,” Mr. Jaishankar said.
Although there has been a political and economic rebalancing of the world order and India has moved up in the last decade, this change is real but “imperfect and incomplete” as the struggle for cultural rebalancing has only just begun. “The battle is on. Economically, Bharat’s answer is greater Atmanirbharta and politically, a more authentic and rooted representation that will contest the propaganda...” the Foreign Minister said.
He added that finding common ground while asserting our own identity is an essential requirement “Bharat will never shy away from questions but will have the courage to question the questioners,” Mr. Jaishankar said.
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The SIS this year celebrates the 70th year of its founding. It was established in 1955 as the Indian School of International Studies before being merged with JNU in 1969 as one of its founding schools dedicated to the study of foreign policy, diplomacy, security, and international relations.
Dean of SIS Amitabh Mattoo said that in October, the institution is planning an academic conference of global thought leaders on “Non-western traditions of International Relations”, which will showcase “Bhartiya thinking” on international relations as well as produce monthly policy briefs and provide exclusive media backgrounders to showcase its expertise.
