For editing and rearranging the material in this collection, I formulated specific guidelines. I felt that paragraphs, references or quotations which had occurred in the text more than once need not be repeated in the interest of brevity. It was not however proper to preclude altogether the reiteration at times almost in all identical syntax, of Indian thinking on central questions which embody the crux of our foreign policy because in international affairs issues often overlap and repeat themselves. Introductory remarks relevant only to a particular occasion or to a specific policy, group or leadership have been omitted. Obsolete or anachronistic statements which had lost significance or had been outpaced by events have also been excluded. The quotes were taken mainly from statements by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and world leaders who have passed into history. My endeavour has been to preserve material of enduring value, which transcends shifts in policies in the international field or fluctuations in the fortunes of leaders in various countries in the fast-changing power configurations in the world.
I fear that the grouping of the edited material into six parts does not follow any set geographical or thematic classification. Indeed it would have been impossible to do so as foreign policy premises negate all kinds of boundaries. However, the arrangement broadly reflects my own priorities in international affairs. But too much should not be read into the volume, size or wordage on a particular country, region or part of the world. India's foreign policy since Nehru's days seeks a harmonious and integrated view of our relations with our neighbours as well as those geographically removed from us. We are equally concerned with the progress made by all nations, whether African, Asian, American, European or the Caribbean and with the closeness of our relations with them. We have given wholehearted support to the liberation movements in Africa. We have been anxious that man, emancipated and responsible to himself, should realise his full potentialities and the essential unity of mankind.
The time, place and origin of the material as well as editorial emendations — or call them liberties, if you like — have been documented in the notes at the end. These notes also reproduce some of my thoughts, supplement the main text, and amplify my views in a personalised style.
The responsibility for the compilation, collation and editing of the material for the book was undertaken by Shyam Ratna Gupta, a former chief editor of Indian and Foreign Review. He began work on this project in the autumn of 1976 and, after an interval of two years, completed it on his retirement and return from his posting as the deputy chief of the Indian mission in Dublin. My thanks are due to him for the painstaking efforts he has made.
I should also like to thank Dr. Rafiq Zakaria for his suggestions in the preparation of the manuscript. My thanks are also due to those who have helped me in various ways in bringing out this book.
Y. B. CHAVAN
New Delhi
March 12, 1979.