Russia And India Relationship Study

The relationship between Russian and India has been a long one. For quite a long time the two counties have enjoyed friendly relations of strategic partnership. Chapters 1-6 of this dissertation mainly discuss the historical evolution of the Russia-Indian relationship by systematically analyzing its basic patterns, features and characteristics in different periods of time. Chapters 7-11 are devoted mainly to the analysis and discussions of some major issues in the Russia-Indian relationship. The last chapter of the dissertation conducts in-depth analysis of the current situations in the Russia-Indian relationship and makes some predictions on its future trends.The early contact between Russia and India can be traced back to the 15th century. Such contact, however, was limited to trade only due to the long geographic distance separating the two nations. In mid-19th century, India became a colony under British rule and the next 200 years the already-existing non-governmental interaction between the two nations was adversely affected to a large extent.The October Revolution in Russia and the victory of the National Defense War exerted a great deal of influence on the national liberation movement in India. The interim government led by Nehru established formal diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union on the eve of Indian independence.Since India won its independence, the Nehru Administration had adopted the national capitalism, sticking to the non-alignment foreign policy. It even chose to remain within the British Commonwealth, and closely hi touch with the western culture, which went against the Soviet Union's foreign policy that all the newly emerging countries should join the socialist camp in order to contend with the United States. In mid-1950s, the Soviet Union Government began to adjust its relations with India. The Soviet Union provided India with large quantities of economic and military assistance; meanwhile, it maintained the same position with India in major international issues, such as the Kashmir issue and the Sino-India border conflicts. In mid-1960s, the Soviet Union Government endeavored to further strengthen its relations with India in an attempt at contending with the United States for their presence in South Asia and ultimately for global hegemony. In 1971 the two countries almost became allies, and signed the 20-year Peace, Friendship and Cooperation Treaty, which brought their relations to a peak point. In mid-1980s, the Gorbachev Administration made great efforts to improve its relations with the United States and Europe. As a result, the importance of India and even the status of the whole South Asia were decreased in the Soviet Union' s foreign policy. In the mean time, the Indian Government advocated the"Two Friends" policy: India maintained its traditional "allied" relationship with the Soviet Union, while it strengthened contact with the United States in an attempt at "relation ofsubstantial partnership".After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Government endeavored to achieve reconciliation with the West, thus ignoring its relations with India to some extent. The turning point came in 1993 when Russia and India signed a new Peace, Friendship and Cooperation Treaty and a series of other economic and military cooperation pacts. In 1998 India conducted a nuclear test, giving rise to a wide objection of the international community. The Western countries decided to impose economic and military sanctions against India while Russia expressed its "understanding" and sympathy for India's action. In 2000 the two countries established a relationship of strategic partnership, which illustrates the increasing status of India in Russia's foreign policy, thus giving fresh impetus into the consolidation and development of the Russia-Indian relations in the new era.In brief, the Russia-Indian relations have developed steadily with few major upheavals ever taking place. Apart from a close political contact, the two countries have always maintained comprehensive cooperation...