Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Historical experiences, collective beliefs, and ideas shape the way nation-states behave in the international system. In the conduct of war, or during the construction of foreign policy, actor’s strategic preferences are informed by a cultural system operating at the domestic level. This research papers draws on the constructivist literature in international relations scholarship to trace the strategic cultural shift at present in India, one from non-alignment to that of strategic engagement. It makes the claim that since the time of Indian independence, Indian strategic culture has been defined by a norm of non-alignment. However, in the present strategic context, Indian strategic policy appears to be increasingly informed by a policy of greater strategic engagement. The paper will trace this process of change, and argue that the norm of non-alignement might have perhaps been undermined by polices for greater engagement, but its efficacy and influence is not lost on India's strategic elite as well as its local populace. The paper will demonstrate that ideas with regards to security poliy shapes the ideational lens through which an actor views the world and conducts itself in the international system.