Shivshankar Menon

Choices: Inside the Making of India's Foreign Policy

1. IDEA 1

   Foreign policy means hard choices

   Menon, a former foreign secretary and national security adviser, describes five major decisions in which he was involved. He uses them to show how real foreign policy choices are made under uncertainty, with imperfect options and limited time.

2. IDEA 2

   Calming the border with China

   Menon describes the 2005 agreement with China on principles for settling the border question. He argues that keeping the border peaceful allowed both countries to focus on growth, even without resolving the dispute.

3. IDEA 3

   The nuclear deal changed India's position

   Menon explains the India-US civil nuclear agreement, which ended India's isolation in nuclear trade. He argues it reflected a new relationship with the United States while preserving India's independence of decision.

All 8 ideas from Choices: Inside the Making of India's Foreign Policy →