“𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 : 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀”

Lecture Cum Discussion Session on

“India's Foreign Policy Shifts in South Asia : Balancing Powers with Neighbours and Global Players”

The Discourse announces with pride the completion of today's Lecture cum Discussion Session graced by the presence of our speaker Prof Tej Pratap Singh, at the esteemed H.N. Tripathi Hall of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

The lecture took off with the question of what is Foreign Policy, the difference between Core and Peripheral National Interest, and an explanation of the relationship between them. This laid the

foundation for further understanding multiple Theoretical Frameworks and Schools of Thought in the discipline of International Relations.

Sir went on to give examples from political history and ideas of eminent figures by delving into Nehru's idealistic policy, comparison with present-day Modi's robust policy, thoughts of Henry

Kissinger etc. As he established the relevance, Sir used it to elaborate on the Action-Structure Debate.

The difference between Domestic Politics and International Politics was discussed next, with a brief explanation of hierarchy and anarchy respectively.

Next, Sir elaborated on Great, Middle and Small Power. He distinguished the terms Super Power and Great Power, by the factor of the omnipresence of the former compared to the latter.

From this, the lecture steered on to the concepts of Unipolar, Bipolar and Multipolar Powers in World. An example from the years of the Cold War was given. Sir discussed the foreign policies of

India during the Bipolar situation (USA and Soviet Union) and in the Unipolar context as well. Then he touched upon the Mandala Theory of Kautilya and its real-life example of India's relations with Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines.

The lecture entered its final stage as Sir surmised some of the core theories in International Relations - Liberalism, Realism, and Constructivism. Compare them on their stance on Human Nature (Hobbes vs Locke's view). Several theories and models were mentioned such as the Theory of Complex Interdependence, the Cobweb Model, the Billiard Ball Model, the Theory of Absolute Gain etc.

Sir drew his concluding remarks with thoughts on post-modernism and its implications in International Relations.

At the end of the enlightening lecture, a small inquisitive interaction took place between Sir and the audience, brimming with students and scholars. Queries regarding world government and institutional liberalism were discussed. On the curiosity of another student, the role of China in Tibet and the Indo-Pak Wars was explained. Finally, with clarification of subjectivity and objectivity of Anarchy in perspectives of different theories, the Lecture Session drew the curtains.

The next half of today's event, the Discussion Session, thus began. The enthusiastic participation enriched the atmosphere of the Seminar Hall.

The discussion moored on the following headers:

1. Handling Pakistan Relations

2. China Border Disputes

3. Regional Alliances

4. Economic Relationships

5. Non-Alignment Policy

The topics of the India-China conflict and India's Non-Alignment Policy incited the discussants most and influenced most of the exchange. Also, concerns regarding India's credibility in international relations were shared. The String of Pearls hypothesis with regards to China and the

De-hyphenation policy of India became the two foci the discussion revolved about.

Finally, the event was wrapped by the restriction of the time. The stimulating sessions spanning almost 3 hours passed without notice and exhaustion. The Discourse extends heartfelt gratitude to

all whose invigorating presence gave vitality to the event and contributed to its success.

With regards,

The Discourse

A Student Centric Society, B.H.U.