Parliament's imprint on foreign policy and some nuggets

Parliamentary debates and interventions have deeply affected and shaped Indian foreign policy, asserts K V Prasad in his well-researched and much-needed book titled, "Indian Parliament: Shaping Foreign Policy [KW Publishers-ICWA]."

- RASHEED KIDWAI

K V Prasad, a distinguished journalist on parliamentary reporting, politics, and foreign affairs, lucidly cites several instances to substantiate how Indian parliament and parliamentarians have shaped the country's foreign policy. He focuses on three specific dimensions—security, geo-economic, and geo-political/strategic—through key decisions that left a lasting imprint on India's foreign policy. These include the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka, India joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the India-United States Civil Nuclear Cooperation. He clinically examines these developments at the intersection of politics, policy, and processes, exploring whether parliamentary interventions altered the course of these policies.