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Papers by Anamika Asthana

Research paper thumbnail of No- First Use Policy: Implications for Nuclear Politics and Strategy

Think India, 2019

This paper analyses the debates on the ‘No-First Use’ (NFU) policy enunciated under India’s nucle... more This paper analyses the debates on the ‘No-First Use’ (NFU) policy enunciated under India’s nuclear doctrine in the wake of recent statement of Indian defence minister who argued that the doctrine is not writ in stone and therefore can be changed depending on the circumstances. This paper presents the viewpoints of both the moderates- who have argued in favour of adequacy of the doctrine and the NFU principle and the expansionists- who have argued that the NFU needs revision to accord more flexibility under the nuclear doctrine. This paper reiterates that the doctrine has served the Indian strategic interests well and does not need to be revised. It also situates this debate in the domestic politics context and assesses rationale behind it. The paper further argues that a revision of NFU is not only unnecessary but may even be counter-productive to India’s political and strategic interests.

Research paper thumbnail of The Growing Power of States in India’s Foreign Policy

International Negotiation, 2017

This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring ... more This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China – and assesses the nature and consequences of such interactions for immediate policy shifts and in wider institutional terms. Except for five states – Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Telengana – all other states in India have international land or maritime borders which make a study of this nature very pertinent. This study focuses on those states that have been more inclined to engage in India’s foreign and security policy making.

Research paper thumbnail of Federalism and Foreign Affairs in India

The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Foreign Relations Law, 2019

This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s consti... more This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s constitution. As a formal matter, India’s constitution strongly favors the central government’s authority, especially in matters of foreign policy and defense. India’s foreign policymaking processes, however, do not strictly correspond either to a unitary or a federal model and often are responsive to contextual dynamics. As the chapter explains, the central government has over time pursued a pragmatic approach in dealing with subnational engagement in the country’s foreign policymaking, without bringing about substantive and formal structural changes either in the constitution or the front-line institutions dedicated to foreign policy decision-making. Such pragmatism has been prominently evident in the area of international trade, especially since the onset of economic liberalization. Moreover, despite the constitutional preeminence of the central government in matters of foreign policy and d...

Research paper thumbnail of The Growing Power of States in India's Foreign Policy

This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring ... more This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China – and assesses the nature and consequences of such interactions for immediate policy shifts and in wider institutional terms. Except for five states – Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Telengana – all other states in India have international land or maritime borders which make a study of this nature very pertinent. This study focuses on those states that have been more inclined to engage in India's foreign and security policy making. Keywords India – federalization – foreign policy – negotiation

Research paper thumbnail of The Growing Power of States in India's Foreign Policy

This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring ... more This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China – and assesses the nature and consequences of such interactions for immediate policy shifts and in wider institutional terms. Except for five states – Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Telengana – all other states in India have international land or maritime borders which make a study of this nature very pertinent. This study focuses on those states that have been more inclined to engage in India's foreign and security policy making. Keywords India – federalization – foreign policy – negotiation

Books by Anamika Asthana

Research paper thumbnail of The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Foreign Relations Law

Oxford University Press, 2019

This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s consti... more This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s constitution. As a formal matter, India’s constitution strongly favors the central government’s authority, especially in matters of foreign policy and defense. India’s foreign policymaking processes, however, do not strictly correspond either to a unitary or a federal model and often are responsive to contextual dynamics. As the chapter explains, the central government has over time pursued a pragmatic approach in dealing with subnational engagement in the country’s foreign policymaking, without bringing about substantive and formal structural changes either in the constitution or the front-line institutions dedicated to foreign policy decision-making. Such pragmatism has been prominently evident in the area of international trade, especially since the onset of economic liberalization. Moreover, despite the constitutional preeminence of the central government in matters of foreign policy and defense, state entities in the era of coalition politics have successfully deployed extraconstitutional means, mostly through bargaining and pressure tactics, to influence the central government’s foreign policy processes. Federalization of foreign policymaking therefore, though limited, is an ongoing process in India’s vibrant polity.

Research paper thumbnail of No- First Use Policy: Implications for Nuclear Politics and Strategy

Think India, 2019

This paper analyses the debates on the ‘No-First Use’ (NFU) policy enunciated under India’s nucle... more This paper analyses the debates on the ‘No-First Use’ (NFU) policy enunciated under India’s nuclear doctrine in the wake of recent statement of Indian defence minister who argued that the doctrine is not writ in stone and therefore can be changed depending on the circumstances. This paper presents the viewpoints of both the moderates- who have argued in favour of adequacy of the doctrine and the NFU principle and the expansionists- who have argued that the NFU needs revision to accord more flexibility under the nuclear doctrine. This paper reiterates that the doctrine has served the Indian strategic interests well and does not need to be revised. It also situates this debate in the domestic politics context and assesses rationale behind it. The paper further argues that a revision of NFU is not only unnecessary but may even be counter-productive to India’s political and strategic interests.

Research paper thumbnail of The Growing Power of States in India’s Foreign Policy

International Negotiation, 2017

This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring ... more This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China – and assesses the nature and consequences of such interactions for immediate policy shifts and in wider institutional terms. Except for five states – Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Telengana – all other states in India have international land or maritime borders which make a study of this nature very pertinent. This study focuses on those states that have been more inclined to engage in India’s foreign and security policy making.

Research paper thumbnail of Federalism and Foreign Affairs in India

The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Foreign Relations Law, 2019

This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s consti... more This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s constitution. As a formal matter, India’s constitution strongly favors the central government’s authority, especially in matters of foreign policy and defense. India’s foreign policymaking processes, however, do not strictly correspond either to a unitary or a federal model and often are responsive to contextual dynamics. As the chapter explains, the central government has over time pursued a pragmatic approach in dealing with subnational engagement in the country’s foreign policymaking, without bringing about substantive and formal structural changes either in the constitution or the front-line institutions dedicated to foreign policy decision-making. Such pragmatism has been prominently evident in the area of international trade, especially since the onset of economic liberalization. Moreover, despite the constitutional preeminence of the central government in matters of foreign policy and d...

Research paper thumbnail of The Growing Power of States in India's Foreign Policy

This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring ... more This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China – and assesses the nature and consequences of such interactions for immediate policy shifts and in wider institutional terms. Except for five states – Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Telengana – all other states in India have international land or maritime borders which make a study of this nature very pertinent. This study focuses on those states that have been more inclined to engage in India's foreign and security policy making. Keywords India – federalization – foreign policy – negotiation

Research paper thumbnail of The Growing Power of States in India's Foreign Policy

This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring ... more This study examines the role of sub-national diplomacy in India with respect to four neighboring countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China – and assesses the nature and consequences of such interactions for immediate policy shifts and in wider institutional terms. Except for five states – Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Telengana – all other states in India have international land or maritime borders which make a study of this nature very pertinent. This study focuses on those states that have been more inclined to engage in India's foreign and security policy making. Keywords India – federalization – foreign policy – negotiation

Research paper thumbnail of The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Foreign Relations Law

Oxford University Press, 2019

This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s consti... more This chapter locates India’s foreign affairs within the federal structure of the country’s constitution. As a formal matter, India’s constitution strongly favors the central government’s authority, especially in matters of foreign policy and defense. India’s foreign policymaking processes, however, do not strictly correspond either to a unitary or a federal model and often are responsive to contextual dynamics. As the chapter explains, the central government has over time pursued a pragmatic approach in dealing with subnational engagement in the country’s foreign policymaking, without bringing about substantive and formal structural changes either in the constitution or the front-line institutions dedicated to foreign policy decision-making. Such pragmatism has been prominently evident in the area of international trade, especially since the onset of economic liberalization. Moreover, despite the constitutional preeminence of the central government in matters of foreign policy and defense, state entities in the era of coalition politics have successfully deployed extraconstitutional means, mostly through bargaining and pressure tactics, to influence the central government’s foreign policy processes. Federalization of foreign policymaking therefore, though limited, is an ongoing process in India’s vibrant polity.