From Hard Power to Soft Power: A Paradigm Shift in India's Foreign Policy towards South Asia

Abstract

The importance of neighbors to the foreign policy perception of any state cannot be over emphasized. For, often it has to take into consideration the foreign policy perceptions of other states and function within that structure. The states surrounding India, although much smaller in size, are important factors in the preservation and development of its national interests. By virtue of their geographical proximity to India's borders they are strategically important to India's security. Therefore after the independence in 1947, India has successfully maintained its hegemony with respect to its bilateral relations with all its neighboring countries in South Asia; and owing to its power and politics and the strategic location, India has always had an upper hand in the matters of international in nature.