India's Act East policy was launched in 2014. As pointed out by Prime Minister Modi, it rests on four pillars: Culture, Commerce, Connectivity and Capacity. The policy was nothing but an action-oriented upgrade of the Look East policy that was launched by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in 1991-92, soon after India had embraced globalization by dumping its command-control based Nehruvian economic structure that had kept growth under a stranglehold ever since independence. Circumstances then forced India to direct its gaze eastward, and circumstances again forced India to refocus and re-strengthen its engagement with the east.
In 1991, the old-world order was crumbling fast. The Berlin Wall had fallen, the Soviet Empire had imploded and disintegrated and the Cold War was over. Barriers that defined the pre-1991 world were giving way to integration, command was replaced by contracts, and control by liberalization. These structural changes also forced the Indian economy to liberalize and globalize, saving it from imminent collapse, and its foreign policy to become multidimensional replacing its earlier USSR-centric approach.
India then started seriously engaging with the USA, discarding its earlier attitude defined by mutual hostility and contempt to one of cooperation and closeness, culminating in the civil nuclear cooperation agreement of 2008. But engagement with the USA still lacked wholesome trust, the Russian Federation remained weak, and the USSR on which the Indian economy depended much existed no more. India's relations with SAARC countries, though old and with shared historical and cultural roots, were also fraught with lack of trust; besides the region was economically backward and could not offer much scope for trade and investment.
Denne historien er fra November 06, 2024-utgaven av The Statesman.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ?  Logg pÄ
Denne historien er fra November 06, 2024-utgaven av The Statesman.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg pÄ
IPL auction: RCB splurge Rs 10.75 cr for Bhuvneshwar; Warner, Smith, Prithviunsold
Bhuvneshvar Kumar starred in the capped bowlers list on the second day of the IPL mega auction on Monday with the right-arm seamer heading to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at a whopping Rs 10.75 crore while Deepak Chahar was acquired by Mumbai Indians for Rs 9.25 crore at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah.
Virat Kohli does not need us, we need him, says Bumrah as India seal Perth win
Stand-in Team India skipper throws weight behind star batter after crucial century in second innings
Rohit Sharma hits nets in Perth, displays wide array of shots ahead of Adelaide Test
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma hit the nets as he joined the team in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the birth of his second child.
BGT: Clarke critical of Khawaja for allowing McSweeney to face first ball in second innings
Former Australia Test captain Michael Clarke was critical of Usman Khawaja's decision to allow debutant opener Nathan McSweeney to face the first ball in Australia's second innings against India, saying the veteran batter had to \"own the moment\" in Perth.
Leicester City FC part ways with manager Steve Cooper
Leicester City has parted ways with head coach Steve Cooper after the side's poor start to the Premier League season.
Liverpool go eight points clear, achieve second-biggest Premier League lead ever
Liverpool's thrilling 3-2 comeback win at Southampton moved the Reds eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table, making it the second-biggest lead ever by a team after playing 12 matches.
Constitution Day is not a holiday but Promise Day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started giving emphasis on the values and ethos of Samvidhan and since 2015, we have been celebrating Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas) on 26 November to celebrate the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly.
Manipur-Mizoram tensions escalate over ethnic conflict solutions
A sharp exchange of words has erupted between Manipur legislators and Mizoram MP KVanlalvena over the ongoing ethnic violence in the north eastern state.
Assam CM meets Governor, cabinet expansion on the cards
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma paid a courtesy visit to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at Raj Bhavan on Monday, officials said.
National Milk Day to be celebrated on Tuesday, 26 November
National Milk Day will be celebrated here on Tuesday to honour the legacy of Verghese Kurien, fondly remembered as the Father of the White Revolution in India.