Rajesh Basrur has penned an important book on Indian foreign policy, which differs from most titles in several ways. First, the book does not attempt a straightforward map of India’s rise as a major power, although the subtext recognizes this ambition as a constant. Second, the book shows how good theory and sound empirics work together.
Basrur employs variants of neoclassical realism to explain India’s approach, which he describes as ‘drift’, often marked by equivocations and hesitations. Foreign policy is messy. Like all policies, it stems from the national decision-making body, but it reacts to developments that happen outside the sovereign jurisdiction of the state.
While the overall structural dynamics of the international order and the pattern of power distribution usually closely relate to foreign policies, states need to consider various factors when responding to external stimuli. Neoclassical realism is helpful because it recognizes the structural causation of policy without investing unnecessary determinism into it.