Idealism And Regional Realpolitik:India's Foreign Policy In The Cold War Era

India's foreign policy was according to the understanding of the Indian leaders on domestic and international situations in the Cold War era, and its fundamental purpose was to maintain India's national security. For this reason India respectively carried out different policies at the global level and in South Asia. At the global India pursued moral idealism foreign policy as the core of the Non-Alignment, and was against Imperialism, colonialism, racism, the arms race, nuclear weapons for the specific targets to keep world peace, and for the unjust international order. India implemented real-politick policy to continuously hold colonial heritage and maintain and consolidated its supremacy in South Asia. These policies all serviced India's national security, and there were different emphases only in different periods.India's foreign focus was on global affairs in Nehru era. After Nehru died, India regarded China as the greatest reality of the external threats, and the core of the Indian foreign policy turned to the subcontinent to principally deal with China. But India didn't discard the moral Non-Alignment diplomacy;only tended to the Soviet Union about international affairs.The moral Non-Alignment diplomacy gained international status not matching with its national strength for India, a high reputation from the international community, and big "Cold War dividends", and made India's power ideal practice.At the same time the global idealistic diplomacy to some extents diluted the regional hegemony policy. The moral diplomacy can establish a good figure for the country, makes it gain more advantages at lesser expensive.The China was always dominant external factor in the Indian National Security, occupied an important position in India's foreign policy."China threat" was the primary consideration for the Indian decision-makers.This consideration was sometimes invisible, sometimes open.Today, this situation still exists.