A Study Of The Realism Orientation Of Indian Strategic Culture

With the expansion of the research scope on strategy,strategic culture has become a topic that attracts the researcher’s attention.Recently,the upsurge of the research on Constructivism and the role of culture and civilization in world politics has driven a deeper study on strategic culture.The different integrant components of culture indicate that nations have different strategic preferences.Strategic culture has national styles,as different nations having different strategic cultures.This research adopts the analysis framework on strategic culture proposed by Colin S.Gray etc.,to analyse Indian strategic culture from three perspectives: natural factor;political factor;social and cultural factor.Natural factors that contribute to the formation of Indian strategic culture are featured with geographical fragmentation;enclosed land and limited contact with outside.Social and cultural factors contain Indian Caste System,religion,myth and symbol,ancient classic of strategic culture.Political factors are related with historical experience,political system,elite thinking and military forces.Based on the analysis of the above mentioned factors,it can be deduced that Indian strategic culture has a distinct orientation of realism,which this research defines as Deference to Hierarchy,Strategic Autonomy and India-center Perspective.Deference to Hierarchy is to defer to the “innate hierarchy” of the society.The social concept of hierarchy affects Indians’ view on world order.International order is also featured with hierarchy,as it is a system centered on world powers.India is not to challenge the existing world order,instead,it shows respect to big powers.Meanwhile,as a big country,it yearns for respect and acceptance from other nations.Strategic autonomy originates from the cognition of individual duty in one’s religion: to reach the ultimate goal of liberation with one’s own effort.The Hinduism and Caste System which includes the non interference of each other between different castes,self-reliance in the caste and ethnic groups have reinforced Indian people’s sense of autonomy,and have contributed to Strategic Autonomy of Indian strategic culture.The history of over 200 years of anti-colonialism makes Indian people all the more cherish Strategic Autonomy.India-center Perspective is affected by the relatively isolate geographical environment.In terms of social factors,India-center Perspective is highlighted by the Mandala thinking.The Mandala System is centered on the conqueror.International relations are centered around India,which endows the Indians the idea of “destined power”.The destined power thinking has been passed on for generations,and has become the legacy of Indian foreign policy.India-center is not simply a geographical term;it refers more to a concept in its strategic culture.The orientation of realism in Indian strategic culture is embodied in contemporary Indian foreign strategy.Firstly,realism in Gandhisim is reflected in his belief in deference.Secondly,it lies in Gandhi’s ambiguity toward violence.Gandhisim’s morality is mainly expressed in his religious ideas,therefore,it is inappropriate to view it as the main stream of Indian strategic culture and as the opposite of Kautilya’s realism.Non-alignment has its moral value in terms of uniting the third world countries in the struggle of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism.Yet,its realistic features are more obvious.On the one hand,Non-alignment policy has brought honor of being a big power to India;on the other hand,it did not prevent India from gaining material support from the two superpowers.Being non-aligned and deferent to world powers are both targeted at developing its own power,and reaching the status of being a world power itself.The orientation of realism in Indian strategic culture affects Indian foreign strategic choice,which is made based on its objective of becoming a world power.It starts from consolidating its status of being regional power.In the big power game between China and the U.S.,India will tilt towards the latter,and maintain “careful balance” of cooperation and competition with China to raise its big power status and to accumulate strength for the ultimate realization of becoming a world power.