Abstract
This thesis examines the evolution of Indian strategic culture, and how this has shaped India's relations with the United States. The empirical focus of this study is hence on India-US strategic relations in key periods between 1947 and 2009. By strategic culture, the study refers to a set of beliefs and practices, which informs India's grand strategic preferences. The dominant argument in Indian strategic studies has been that India does not have a strategic culture. While some scholars have challenged this view, their analysis has done little to demonstrate causality. Adopting a methodological approach informed by the work on norms in international relations scholarship, this thesis first demonstrates that India has a strategic culture. In reference to the US, Indian strategic culture is defined by the norm of non-alignment, which has undergone a process of normative change since 1962, giving rise to ideas characterised by strategic engagement. Second, having recognised the reality that the domestic cultural context of state preferences informs state behaviour, the thesis measures strategic cultural change from what might be considered the worms' eye view, providing an analysis of Indian strategic behaviour whilst getting "inside" the case. The causal connection between ideas, preferences, and behaviour is demonstrated in seven cases between 1947 and 2009
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | University of London Press |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Keywords
- Nonalignment