Brief notes on the Foreign Policies made by Nehru

Nehru was a lover of peace and wanted to promote it throughout the world. He opposed war tooth and nail. He wanted to make the world as the abode of peace. In his words “Peace and freedom have become indivisible and the world cannot continue for long partly subject. … In this atomic age, peace has also become a test of human survival.” His vision of. World peace or internationalism or foreign policy is as follows:

Advantageous (or the country):

Nehru wanted to pursue a foreign policy which should be advantageous for the country. It should be based on peace and should aim at establishing friendly relation with other countries of the world. This relation will be beneficial for the country “Whatever policy you may lay down, the art of conducting the foreign affair of a country lies in finding out what is most advantageous to the country.”

Anti-colonialism:

In promoting world peace, Nehru declared that colonialism in any form anywhere is to be opposed to subjugation of a country by a colonial power which naturally invades the freedom of the former. A champion of human freedom, Nehru opposed colonialism in his foreign policy which was given high regards by maximum courier of the world.

Anti-racialism:

Racial superiority is to be given goodbye. It was this racialism which .led to the rise of Hitler in Germany and Mussolini in Italy and both of them brought the world on the brink of a titanic war. That-racial superiority of the British people subjugated the Indians and made their life miserable. So, Nehru wanted to do away with racialism.

Panchasheel

On the eve of the Bandung Conference, Nehru in association with the Chinese Prime Minister Chou-En-Lai declared in 1954 the fundamental principles of international understanding and cooperation. Those are:

1. Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

2. Mutual non-aggression.

3. Mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.

4. Equality and mutual advantage.

5. Peaceful co-existence and economic co- operation.

However, his principle of Panchasheel got a set back when China attacked India in 1962 and Nehru was severely criticized by the people of India. Anyway, the’ Panchasheel principles of Nehru had been undoubtedly designed to promote world peace.

Non-alignment:

Nehru -foil owed the principle of-non- alignment for maintaining better understanding with the countries of the world. Non- alignment means not to side with any super power i.e. the U.S.A or U.S.S.R. By doing this, Nehru kept India away from ‘Cold War’ or ‘Bloc politics’. He never wanted to side with one and become enemy of the other. The country was guided by its own foreign policy where no supremacy of any power bloc was entertained.

Regional cooperation:

Regional cooperation was another principle of India’s foreign policy which Nehru envisaged for promoting peace among the nations. He wanted to’ maintain good relation with Pakistan, China, Nepal etc. which will foster lasting peace among themselves. He wanted to expand this friendship and cooperation with as many countries as was possible.

Firm faith on the U.N.O. and Commonwealth of Nations:

Nehru had firm faith on the U.N.O. and Commonwealth of Nations. It was only because these organizations enabled the nations to arrive at a solution. Those organizations provided forums to redress the grievances of the people of the globe. By doing that, those organizations would bring peace among the nations. So, Nehru retained his faith on the U.N.O. and Commonwealth of Nations.

Clear vision of defence:

Nehru had preached in Panchasheel to develop mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and. sovereignty. If that is violated, one must come forward to protect the internal integrity of a nation. So, defence department of a country should be kept ready to meet such situation. Though, Nehru was against war, still he equipped the defence department well to meet the external challenges.

Thus envisaged, Nehru was a promoter of world peace. Peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation were the corner stone of his foreign policy. His Panchasheel and non-alignment principles made him distinct as a political philosopher of India.