Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Contribution to India's Foreign Policy: A Realistic Pluralist Approach

This study analyses India's foreign policy during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister from the perspective of realistic pluralism. It argues that after the 1998 nuclear test, India adopted a nuanced and realistic approach to its foreign policy, the main objective of which was the attainment of the country's fundamental interests. The characteristic of this policy was that it actively faced contemporary challenges such as neo-liberal globalisation, terrorism, disarmament, changing international order, weakening of multilateral institutions and the emergence of new regionalism. India adopted a pluralistic pragmatic approach to deal with these challenges, which focused on protecting security interests along with economic progress. Additionally, the policy aimed to elevate India's status as an emerging global power while relentlessly advocating its core principles. The study also explains how a political party with a right-wing ideology assumed leadership amid the failure of the Congress Party to meet the aspirations of the people while coming to power. This article examines the main arguments made in this framework and their implementation by Vajpayee. Finally, the strategies adopted by Vajpayee and their potential impact on India's foreign policy in the future are assessed.