'Explaining the Persistence of Nehruvianism in Indian Strategic Culture'

<strong>SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, ORGANISATION AND DISARMAMENT</strong> a seminar on <strong>'Explaining the Persistence of Nehruvianism in Indian Strategic Culture'</strong> Despite changes to the international system, India's capabilities, and Indian foreign policy in the past 25 years, India's strategic culture remains stubbornly Nehruvian. That culture emphasizes status, autonomy, and restraint regarding the pursuit and use of force. It is underpinned by the conviction that India is the heir to a great civilizational inheritance, including a great stock of religious and philosophical wisdom, but is materially weak, and unable to defend and extend its interests according to the normal methods of power politics – alliances, threats, and the use of force. Despite being shaken by defeat at the hands of China in 1962, extensively modified under Indira Gandhi, compromised by India's alignment with the Soviets after 1971, shaken again by the end of the Cold War, this Nehruvian culture has proven persistent. Although India is now nuclear-armed and significantly richer than it was in the immediate postcolonial period, with close partnerships with Japan, the United States, and others, Nehruvian restraint still characterizes Indian strategic behaviour. This paper argues the persistence of Nehruvianism is due to the strategic elite's continued attachment to (tempered) moralism; the relative weakness of Indian diplomatic influence and military power; and the prioritization of domestic development over international assertion. SPEAKER:&nbsp;<strong>PROFESSOR IAN HALL</strong> GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA Ian Hall is a Professor in the School of Government and International Relations and the Acting Director of the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He is the author of a number of books and articles, including the edited volume, The Engagement of India: Strategies and Responses (2014). He is currently working on projects on Indian international thought and India's interactions with the liberal international order. <strong>Wednesday, 9 November 2016</strong>