Challenges of Foreign Policy Making with Special Reference to Indo-Pakistan Relations

Foreign policy is an instrument which enables a country to realize its national interest. The nation’s security and economic progress largely depends upon the potency of its foreign policy. The tumultuous character of international affairs compels nation’s states to device a rational and meaningful foreign policy, which will enable them to cope up with the turbulence of world politics. Foreign policy making, thus, appears to be a very challenging task to the ruling establishment. Policy makers have to face both internal and external challenges while formulating the country’s foreign policy. In the present context, the external challenges of foreign policy mainly emanates from globalization. It has brought in phenomenal changes in the ambit of internal affairs of a country. There are numerous challenges that decision makers in India have to counter, while devising the country’s foreign policy. For the purpose of this paper, upsurge of terrorism as an unconventional mode of conflict in the ambit of the already strained relation between India and Pakistan has been selected. It has been assumed, rise of terrorism in India has presented serious challenges to the foreign policy makers. Despite the emergence of globalization that contends to have drastically transformed the texture of international affairs and claims to have redirected the course of world affairs from a chronicle of political conflicts economic cooperation and cultural integration. It seems that, the waves of transition have not hit the shores of South Asia; the countries of the region are still reeling under complex internal and external conflicts. Terrorism has been one of the major sources of tension in the region. Although there has occurred qualitative changes in the sphere of human life, thanks to globalization, but it appears that, it has not been able to make any impact on the problem of terrorism, which preserves relentlessly.