INDIA’S STRATERGIC CULTURE

Submitted by
HARSHIT SINGH
Div – A, 18010323057

In
March, 2021

UNDER THE GUIDANCE

OF
Mr. Radhakrishnan
(FACULTY INCHARGE)

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

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Strategic culture is basically a set of shared belief, modes of behaviour and assumption that
are taken from some of the common experience and the also from accepted narratives, which
include both written and oral and that shaped the collective identity and the association to
other groups through which it determines the appropriate ends and also a proper mean for
achieving the security objectives. Strategic cultures always have its nourishment from the
past values that include civilizational value. Talking here around India’s strategic culture as
per Jones and Tanham there are two a. Plural and Secular Democratic and b. Hindu
Nationalist1. The former talks about two major thoughts that sometimes merge and sometimes
they are separated and these two major beneficial lines of thought are called as Nehruvian
and Gandhian thoughts.

India insists that its minor neighbours are within India's defence perimeter and that they
should be avoided if they mingle with foreign forces. 2 Except for Bhutan, India's minor
neighbours cautiously embraced the protective umbrella. India arbitrarily stretched the
horizon over the horizon of its neighbours. Despite this, Pakistan has questioned and
continues to question India's security doctrine of bringing the tiny neighbourhood under its
security umbrella.  Nonalignment, which arose from the womb of the independence struggle,
has played a crucial role in India's overall security policy. It is clear that ‘strategic
sovereignty' has been a common trend in India's foreign policy and strategic actions since the
Nehruvian period. After this it was Indira Gandhi’s time where she was having an approach
of being firmer and some of the times hegemonic due to the regional strategic dynamics and
she invented a policy of “hegemonic interventionism” 3. Another major development here was
the government of Narsimha Rao when India established diplomatic ties with Israel and
began look-east strategy with clear strategic implications 4. And then the regime of Dr.
Manmohan Singh came where the landmark where the ties with US was taken to an
absolutely new heights when the nuclear deal was signed amid protests, it is also to be
mentioned here that Atal Bihari Vajpayee ad the Dr. Manmohan Singh choosed somewhere
the between that of Gujral’s and Indira Gandhi. In the recent time when in 2014 and 2019
Narendra Modi led NDA government came into power for two consecutive terms with full

1
PANDE, A., 2017. FROM CHANAKYA TO MODI: EVOLUTION OF INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY. 1st ed.
Harper Collins India, pp.34-56.
2
SIKRI, R., 2013. CHALLENGES AND STRATEGY. 1st ed. SAGE India, pp.90-124.
3
Ramesh R. Singhania, India’s Diversify Policy, BELFER CENTRE (Mar. 4th 2021, 4:08 PM),
https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/indias-foreign-policy
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Kaveri Sapru, Breaking the Traditional Barrier, 13-18, ( Delhi University Law 2018)

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majority, it was seen that a “cultural nationalist party” came with such huge mandate and they
formed 6 linked policy for the strategic culture that is “Samman”, “Samvad”, “Samridhi”,
“Suraksha”, “Sanskriti” and “Sabhyata” and named them as “Panchamrit” and from that
time the strategic culture of India transformed from defensive realism to offensive realism. 5 a
clear and noticeable deviation from Nehru's nonalignment and strategic autonomy system the
above-mentioned decisive change may be due to Modi's overriding dominance of Indian
civilizational ethos. Present time traditional security concern has been hidden over by the
Economic issues, in the, International extremism, global economic collapse, and
environmental destruction, including climate change, are all security issues that India must
seriously resolve. 6

The scope and extent of this paper shall be from starting to define the meaning of strategic
culture then the researcher shall throw light upon the questions related to strategic doctrine
and then in detail the researcher shall cover India’ strategic culture in regards to different
head of state starting from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi. Toward the end the
researcher shall provide with the conclusion and suggestion in regards to the loop holes in
this culture.

5
Rupakjyoti Borah, India’s Policy at Modi, DIPLOMAT(Mar. 4th 2021, 5:10 PM), https:// diplomatindias-
foreign-policy-in-modi- /
6
Dr. Mohan Bhaskaran Pillai¸ India’s Strategic Culture, a Debate, 2-11 (Pondicherry University Journal 2019)

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 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

A argument that explains the issue addressed by a report is referred to as a statement of the
problem in science. This paper reflects on the some of the major problems addressed here are,
first statement of problem here is in regards whether India’s Strategy culture is based on
Plural and Secular Democratic and Hindu Nationalist or appeasement politics have a big role
in it. Another statement of problem the British strategy has influenced the leaders of India
while formulating India’s strategy and policies related to security or our leaders where totally
dependent on it and didn’t looked for an alternative Moving further the researcher adds here
that whether the “Panchsheel” policy of Nehru was responsible for losing to China in the
Indo China war and also giving away of some part of land. Further the researcher addresses
the issue of the fight between “Indira Doctrine” and “Gujral Doctrine” as in which one was
better in terms attitude towards India’s Neighbour. Lastly the problem addressed by the
researcher shall be in regards with whether the Narendra Modi’s definition of transforming
strategic culture evolved at fight between two national parties of different ideology ignoring
the integrity of India and the work done by previous state heads.

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 HYPOTHESIS

The following are the hypothesis formed by the researcher.

 India’s strategic culture is also conquered by pacification policies.

 Attaching India’s small neighbour to be a part of our strategic culture is a gain for
India.
 This British strategy had influenced the Indian nationalist leadership while
formulating its security policy and strategy.
 Jawaharlal Nehru’s “panchsheel” policy was mainly responsible for India losing
pieces of Land to China.
 Gujral’s Doctrine is better than Indira’s doctrine in terms of advancement of strategic
culture
 Narendra Modi’s dynamic leadership has benefited India in terms of having upper
position in the world map and seeking solidarity form developed countries.
 On domestic front India faces several strategic culture challenges including illiteracy,
social and economic inequality etc.
 Jihadi ideology is a threat to India and not a myth.
 Today Economic issue has overtaken all traditional security concerns.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

 V.N KHANNA, FOREIGN POLICY OF INDIA, 56-68, (Vikas Publishing House

2018)

This authoritative thesis on India's foreign policy is based on India's long-held principles in
international affairs. An attempt has been made to study these ideals to determine how well
they have been applied and how successful they have been.

 APARNA PANDE, FROM CHANAKYA TO MODI: EVOLUTION OF

INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY, 34-56, (HarperCollins Publishers India 2017)

India's foreign policy is influenced by both its civilizational history and contemporary ideas
regarding national interest. Autonomy and independence in decision-making are two ideas
that have come and gone in Indian interaction with the world, from Chanakya in the third
century to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017.

 RAJEEV SIKRI, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGY, 90-124, (SAGE India

2013)

In this book, he has collected his thought process and thoughts. Rajiv analyses India's foreign
policy in this book to provide a simple view of how our independent policy is structured to
preserve our position in the global scenario of the twenty-first century.

 Dr. Mohan Bhaskaran Pillai¸ India’s Strategic Culture, a Debate, 2-11

(Pondicherry University Journal 2019)

The major motive of the researcher for choosing this literature is since it gives a details
analysis of the culture from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru till Narendra Modi in details and it
gives an unbiased opinion about the same.

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  Kaveri Sapru, Breaking the Traditional Barrier, 13-18, (Delhi University Law
2018)

This literature was considered since it provides the current situation of India and tells that
today Economic issue has overtaken all traditional security concerns and on domestic front
India faces many strategic culture challenges.

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 CONCLUSION

To conclude India strategic culture has seen many faces of time with different head of states
and it has also been governed by different ideology at different point of time but the common
thing in all of them was to save the integrity of India and the people of it and to protect it
from all the fronts. It is to be said During the Cold War, India's security issues were focused
on attacks largely originating from Pakistan. According to conventional analysis, China poses
a threat to India's national security. The age of, on the other hand, neoliberal globalization has
given traditional challenges new dimensions. Cross-border insurgency and Sunni radicalism
have been India's main security concerns in the post-Cold War era. From first Prime Minster
to current one all have contributed in “India’s Strategic culture” in their own way keeping the
nation at top. But in recent times these needed a huge change in regards to the problem
arising out that is communalism, regional imbalances and development-based displacement,
and above all, Maoist insurgency. At this point, however, we must remember the Modi
Doctrine of “Panchamrit”, the five foundations of international and strategic policy, which
has its origins in the country's civilizational ethos.

In today's world, economic considerations trump all other conventional security worries.
International extremism, global economic meltdown, and environmental destruction,
including climate change, are all serious security issues that India must solve. The energy
shortage poses a major security threat. Domestically, India faces a slew of human security
problems, including poverty, illiteracy, social and economic disparities, communalism, ethnic
imbalances, development-based displacement, and, most notably, Maoist insurgency. The
other most important security theater that necessitates a unique approach, especially in the
aftermath of the other most crucial security theatre that requires a distinct treatment,
particularly in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attack seems to be the Indian Ocean and
the jihadi ideology.