FOREIGN POLICY DECISION-MAKING IN INDIA: A POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE S. S

The formulation of foreign policy is multifaceted and more complex than domestic policies. The knowledge of a single discipline is generally inadequate to understand the reality of complex foreign policy issues. Multidisciplinary knowledge is imperative for understanding the foreign policy decision-making process. The study focuses on the perceptions, cognitive processes, and beliefs of foreign policy decision-makers and institutions. This study assumes that perceptions and beliefs are significant dimensions of political psychology in interactions among the actors representing nation-states. In a parliamentary democracy, the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister are key actors in foreign policy decision-making. The key actors are leaders of institutions and groups. Foreign policy decision-makers are elites, and elite beliefs are significant in foreign policy decision-making. Beliefs influence the decision-makers in understanding the problem they are confronted with, defining the international situation, identifying options with pros and cons, and finally selecting the best option to achieve foreign policy objectives.

This book is an attempt to understand foreign policy decision-making in India from the perspective of political psychology. The combination of insights from political science and psychology helps to understand the reality of the multifaceted phenomena of national interest, decision-making, and the influence of leaders’ personalities on foreign policy. The book is useful for students and academics interested in foreign policy analysis and foreign policy decision-making, and is important for researchers in policy studies institutes, journalists, foreign policy analysts, strategists, risk analysts, historians, biographers, and the general public interested in foreign policy.