Indian Grand Strategy

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

India is an aspiring major power with the world’s largest population, fifth largest economy and third largest military. The country is pivotal to the shifting geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region and has emerged as a key (albeit reluctant) U.S. partner in its competition with China. This course explores the origins, patterns and implications of India's foreign policy. It is divided into two main parts. The first part will focus on the factors that shape Indian foreign policy including domestic politics, institutions, leadership and strategic culture. The second part will examine salient challenges that India faces in its quest to become a "leading" power in global affairs, including military modernization, nuclear weapons, the Sino-Indian conflict, and the Indo-U.S. partnership.