Editing Indira Gandhi (section)

== Foreign policy ==
{{Main|Foreign policy of the Indira Gandhi government}}
Gandhi is remembered for her ability to effectively promote Indian foreign policy measures.<ref name="Genovese, Michael A. 1993">Genovese, Michael A., ed. ''Women As National Leaders'' (SAGE Publications, 1993).</ref><ref>Surjit Mansinghm ''India′s Search for Power: Indira Gandhi′s Foreign Policy 1966–1982'' (1984)</ref><ref>Shashi Tharoor, ''Reasons of state: political development and India's foreign policy under Indira Gandhi, 1966–1977'' (1982) [https://archive.org/details/reasonsofstatepo0000thar/page/n5/mode/2up online]</ref>

=== South Asia ===
{{Further|List of state visits made by Indira Gandhi}}

In early 1971, disputed elections in [[Pakistan]] led then [[East Pakistan]] to declare independence as [[Bangladesh]]. Repression and violence by the Pakistani army led to 10 million refugees crossing the border into India over the following months.<ref name="ahsgjxajtu0c244">{{cite book|last1=Reynolds|first1=David|title=One world divisible : a global history since 1945|date=2001|publisher=[[W.W. Norton]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-393-32108-1|pages=244–247|url={{Google books|AHsGJxAJTU0C|page=PR14|keywords=indira%20gandhi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> Finally, in December 1971, Gandhi intervened directly in the conflict to liberate Bangladesh. India emerged victorious following the war with Pakistan to become the dominant power of South Asia.<ref>{{cite book|first=Hermann|last=Kulke|title=A History of India|url=https://archive.org/details/historyindia00kulk|url-access=limited|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyindia00kulk/page/n371 359]|isbn=978-0-415-32919-4}}</ref> India had signed a [[Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation|treaty]] with the Soviet Union promising mutual assistance in the case of war,<ref name="ahsgjxajtu0c244" /> while Pakistan received active support from the United States during the conflict.<ref name="NixonWitchBBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4633263.stm Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira, BBC News, 29 June 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812125319/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4633263.stm |date=12 August 2011 }}. [[BBC News]] (29 June 2005). Retrieved on 18 June 2011.</ref> U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] disliked Gandhi personally, referring to her as a "[[Bitch (slang)|bitch]]"<!-- Nixon and Kissinger called Gandhi a bitch and not a witch. It is on record and such official transcription has been cited herein.--><ref>{{Cite web|title=Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–7, Documents on South Asia, 1969–1972 – Office of the Historian|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve07/d150|access-date=15 February 2022|website=history.state.gov|quote=Nixon: This is just the point when she is a bitch.  Kissinger: Well, the Indians are bastards anyway. They are starting a war there. It's—to them East Pakistan is no longer the issue. Now, I found it very interesting how she carried on to you yesterday about West Pakistan.  Nixon: I think I'll make the meeting today a rather brief—cool. [unclear] I don't mean by that cool in terms of not trying to bring up [unclear] I'll talk to her a little about Vietnam, and–  Kissinger: I'd let her talk a little more, maybe today—  Nixon: Yeah?  Kissinger:—to be a little less forthcoming. But basically, Mr. President—  Nixon: So I was trying to give her no excuses. Now I've talked to her, told her everything we're going to do. Now it's up to her.  Kissinger: While she was a bitch, we got what we wanted too. You very subtly—I mean, she will not be able to go home and say that the United States didn't give her a warm reception and therefore, in despair, she's got to go to war.|archive-date=26 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926154652/http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve07/d150|url-status=live}}</ref> and a "clever fox" in his private communication with Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4633263.stm|title=BBC NEWS {{!}} South Asia {{!}} Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=19 July 2017|date=29 June 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812125319/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4633263.stm|archive-date=12 August 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Nixon later wrote of the war: "[Gandhi] suckered [America]. Suckered us&nbsp;... this woman suckered us."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/this-woman-suckered-us-said-nixon-of-indira-gandhi/story-WGR773bfTnuAsEffYYvq5O.html|title='This woman suckered us', said Nixon of Indira Gandhi|date=2 March 2010|work=www.hindustantimes.com|access-date=19 July 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720223345/http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/this-woman-suckered-us-said-nixon-of-indira-gandhi/story-WGR773bfTnuAsEffYYvq5O.html|archive-date=20 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Relations with the U.S. became distant as Gandhi developed closer ties with the Soviet Union after the war. The latter grew to become India's largest trading partner and its biggest arms supplier for much of Gandhi's premiership.<ref>{{cite book|first=Linda |last=Racioppi|title=Soviet Policy towards South Asia since 1970|url=https://archive.org/details/sovietpolicytowa1970raci |url-access=limited |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1994|page=[https://archive.org/details/sovietpolicytowa1970raci/page/n76 65]|isbn=978-0-521-41457-9}}</ref> India's new hegemonic position, as articulated under the "Indira Doctrine", led to attempts to bring the [[Himalayan states]] under India's sphere of influence.<ref>{{cite book|first=Harish|last=Kapur|title=Foreign Policies Of India's Prime Ministers|publisher=Lancer Publishers|year=2009|page=138|isbn=978-0-9796174-8-5}}</ref> [[Nepal]] and [[Bhutan]] remained aligned with India, while in 1975, after years of campaigning, Sikkim voted to join India in a [[1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum|referendum]].<ref name="himalayan"/>{{sfn|Malik|1988|pp=120–121}}

[[File:Jacqueline Kennedy and Indira Gandhi.jpg|thumb|Gandhi with [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Kennedy]], First Lady of the US in New Delhi, 1962]]

India [[Indo-Bangla Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace|maintained close ties]] with neighbouring Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) following the Liberation War. Prime Minister [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] recognised Gandhi's contributions to the independence of Bangladesh. However, Mujibur Rahman's pro-India policies antagonised many in Bangladeshi politics and the military, which feared that Bangladesh had become a client state of India.<ref name="Nair">{{cite book|first=P. Sukumaran|last=Nair|title=Indo-Bangladesh Relations|publisher=APH Publishing|year=2008|page=47|isbn=978-81-313-0408-2}}</ref><ref name="MK">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/19.htm |title=Mujib's downfall |publisher=Countrystudies.us |date=15 August 1975 |access-date=31 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805012545/http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/19.htm |archive-date=5 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|Assassination of Mujibur Rahman]] in 1975 led to the establishment of Islamist military regimes that sought to distance the country from India.<ref name="IB">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/106.htm |title=Bangladesh's relations with India |publisher=Countrystudies.us |access-date=31 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328232816/http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/106.htm |archive-date=28 March 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Gandhi's relationship with the military regimes was strained because of her alleged support of anti-Islamist leftist guerrilla forces in Bangladesh.<ref name="IB" /> Generally, however, there was a rapprochement between Gandhi and the Bangladeshi regimes, although issues such as border disputes and the [[Farakka Dam]] remained an irritant to bilateral ties.<ref>{{cite book|first= N |last=Jayapalan|title=India And Her Neighbours|publisher=[[Atlantic Publishers & Dist]]|year=2000|page=134|isbn=978-81-7156-912-0}}</ref> In 2011, the [[Government of Bangladesh]] conferred its highest state award for non-nationals, the [[Bangladesh Freedom Honour]] posthumously on Gandhi for her "outstanding contribution" to the country's independence.<ref name="Gandhi1971">[http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-25/news/29812476_1_liberation-war-sonia-gandhi-outstanding-contribution Former PM Indira Gandhi honoured with Bangladesh's highest award, The Economic Times, 25 July 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510165730/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-25/news/29812476_1_liberation-war-sonia-gandhi-outstanding-contribution |date=10 May 2013 }}. [[The Economic Times]] (25 July 2011). Retrieved on 25 December 2012.</ref>

Gandhi's approach to dealing with Sri Lanka's [[Sri Lankan civil war|ethnic problems]] was initially accommodating. She enjoyed cordial relations with Prime Minister [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike]]. In 1974, India ceded the tiny islet of [[Katchatheevu]] to Sri Lanka to save Bandaranaike's socialist government from a political disaster.<ref name="Suryanarayan">{{cite book|first=Venkateswaran|last=Suryanarayan|title=Conflict Over Fisheries In The Palk Bay Region|publisher=Lancer Publishers & Distributors|year=2005|page=65|isbn=978-81-7062-242-0}}</ref> However, relations soured over Sri Lanka's movement away from socialism under [[J. R. Jayewardene]], whom Gandhi despised as a "western puppet".{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=5}} India under Gandhi was alleged to have supported the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) militants in the 1980s to put pressure on Jayewardene to abide by Indian interests.<ref name="sndayt">{{cite news|url=http://sundaytimes.lk/970119/plus4.html|title=LTTE: the Indian connection|newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|year=1997|access-date=29 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915053716/http://sundaytimes.lk/970119/plus4.html|archive-date=15 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nevertheless, Gandhi rejected demands to invade Sri Lanka in the aftermath of [[Black July|Black July 1983]], an anti-Tamil pogrom carried out by Sinhalese mobs.<ref name="Bandarage">{{cite book|first=Asoka|last= Bandarage|title=The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, Political Economy|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|year=2009|page=111|isbn=978-0-415-77678-3}}</ref> Gandhi made a statement emphasising that she stood for the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka, although she also stated that India cannot "remain a silent spectator to any injustice done to the Tamil community."<ref name="Bandarage" /><ref name="Dissanayaka">{{cite book|first=T.D.S.A.|last=Dissanayaka|title=War Or Peace in Sri Lanka|publisher=[[Popular Prakashan]]|year=2005|page=84|isbn=978-81-7991-199-0}}</ref>

India's relationship with Pakistan remained strained after the [[Simla Agreement|Shimla Accord]] in 1972. Gandhi's [[Smiling Buddha|authorisation of the detonation of a nuclear device]] at Pokhran in 1974 was viewed by Pakistani leader [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] as an attempt to intimidate Pakistan into accepting India's hegemony in the subcontinent. However, in May 1976, she and Bhutto both agreed to reopen diplomatic establishments and normalise relations.<ref name="Grover">{{cite book|first= Verinder|last=Grover|title=Events and Documents of Indo-Pak Relations: Includes Chronology of All Important Events & Documents from 1947 to 1998|publisher=Deep and Deep Publications|year=1999|pages=100–113|isbn=978-81-7629-059-3}}</ref> After General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] rose to power in Pakistan in 1978, India's relations with its neighbour reached a nadir. Gandhi accused General Zia of supporting [[Khalistani]] militants in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref name="Grover" /> Military hostilities recommenced in 1984 following Gandhi's authorisation of [[Operation Meghdoot]].<ref name=Kapur>{{cite book|last=Kapur|first=S. Paul|title=Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia|publisher=[[Stanford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-8047-5550-4|page=118|year=2007}}</ref> India was victorious in the resulting [[Siachen conflict]] against Pakistan.<ref name=Kapur />

In order to keep the Soviet Union and the United States out of South Asia, Gandhi was instrumental in establishing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ([[SAARC]]) in 1983<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gupte|first1=Pranay|title=Mother India: a political biography of Indira Gandhi|date=2011|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-14-306826-6|page=482|edition=Rev.|url={{Google books|OOmK1lPWq80C|page=PR9|keywords=saarc|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref>

=== Middle East ===
Gandhi remained a staunch supporter of the Palestinians in the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] and was critical of the Middle East diplomacy sponsored by the United States.{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=5}} [[Israel]] was viewed as a religious state, and thus [[Two-nation theory|an analogue]] to India's [[archrival]] Pakistan. Indian diplomats hoped to win Arab support in countering Pakistan in [[Kashmir]]. Nevertheless, Gandhi authorised the development of a secret channel of contact and security assistance with Israel in the late 1960s. Her lieutenant, [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]], later became prime minister and approved full diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.<ref name="AKapur">{{cite book|first=Ashok|last=Kapur|title=India: From Regional to World Power |url=https://archive.org/details/indiafromregiona00kapu|url-access=limited|publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2006 |page=[https://archive.org/details/indiafromregiona00kapu/page/n225 215] |isbn=978-0-415-32804-3}}</ref>

[[File:Pahlavis meet Indira Gandhi in India, 1970.jpg|thumb|left|Gandhi meeting the [[Shah of Iran]] [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] and [[Shahbanu]] [[Farah Pahlavi]] during their state visit to India in 1970]]

India's pro-Arab policy had mixed success. Establishment of close ties with the socialist and secular [[Baathist]] regimes to some extent neutralised Pakistani propaganda against India.<ref name="Ghosh">{{cite book|first=Anjali|last=Ghosh|title=India's Foreign Policy |publisher=[[Pearson plc|Pearson]]|year=2009|pages=306–307|isbn=978-81-317-1025-8}}</ref> However, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 presented a dilemma for the Arab and Muslim states of the Middle East as the war was fought by two states both friendly to the Arabs.<ref name="Kaur">{{cite book|first=Ranjit|last=Kaur|title=Islamic Co-Operation and Unity|publisher=Deep and Deep Publications |year=1993 |pages=168–170|isbn=978-81-7100-564-2}}</ref> The progressive Arab regimes in [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], and [[Algeria]] chose to remain neutral, while the conservative [[pro-American]] Arab monarchies in [[Jordan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Kuwait]], and [[United Arab Emirates]] openly supported Pakistan. Egypt's stance was met with dismay by the Indians, who had come to expect close co-operation with the Baathist regimes.<ref name="Ghosh" /> But, the death of [[Nasser]] in 1970 and [[Anwar Sadat|Sadat]]'s growing friendship with [[Riyadh]], and his mounting differences with Moscow, constrained Egypt to a policy of neutrality.<ref name="Ghosh" /> Gandhi's overtures to [[Muammar Gaddafi]] were rebuffed.<ref name="Kaur" /> [[Libya]] agreed with the Arab monarchies in believing that Gandhi's intervention in East Pakistan was an attack against [[Islam]].<ref name="Kaur" />

[[File:Nehru and Indira Gandhi visit Einstein.jpg|right|thumb|Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru visit [[Albert Einstein]]]]

The 1971 war became a temporary stumbling block in growing [[India–Iran relations|Indo-Iranian ties]].<ref name="Ghosh" /> Although [[Iran]] had earlier characterized the Indo-Pakistani war in 1965 as Indian aggression, the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]] had launched an effort at rapprochement with India in 1969 as part of his effort to secure support for a larger Iranian role in the [[Persian Gulf]].<ref name="Ghosh" /> Gandhi's tilt towards Moscow and her dismemberment of Pakistan was perceived by the Shah as part of a larger anti-Iran conspiracy involving India, [[Iraq]], and the Soviet Union.<ref name="Ghosh" /> Nevertheless, Iran had resisted Pakistani pressure to activate the [[Baghdad Pact]] and draw the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO) into the conflict.<ref name="Ghosh" /> Gradually, Indian and Iranian disillusionment with their respective regional allies led to a renewed partnership between the nations.<ref name=hunter>{{cite book|last=Hunter|first=Shireen|title=Iran's Foreign Policy in the Post-Soviet Era: Resisting the New International Order|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-8047-5550-4|date=2010|pages=120–121}}</ref> She was unhappy with the lack of support from India's Arab allies during the war with Pakistan, while the Shah was apprehensive at the growing friendship between Pakistan and [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf]], especially [[Saudi Arabia]], and the growing influence of Islam in Pakistani society.<ref name=hunter /> There was an increase in Indian economic and military co-operation with Iran during the 1970s.<ref name=hunter /> The 1974 India-Iranian agreement led to Iran supplying nearly 75 percent of India's crude oil demands.<ref name=pande>{{cite book|last=Pande|first=Aparna|title=Explaining Pakistan's Foreign Policy|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]], 2011|isbn=978-1-136-81894-3|year=2011|page=146}}</ref> Gandhi appreciated the Shah's disregard of [[Pan-Islamism]] in diplomacy.<ref name=hunter />

=== Asia-Pacific ===
One of the major developments in [[Southeast Asia]] during Gandhi's premiership was the formation of the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] (ASEAN) in 1967. Relations between ASEAN and India were mutually antagonistic. India perceived ASEAN to be linked to the [[Southeast Asia Treaty Organization]] (SEATO) and, therefore, it was seen as a pro-American organisation. On their part, the ASEAN nations were unhappy with Gandhi's sympathy for the [[Viet Cong]] and India's strong links with the [[USSR]]. Furthermore, they were also apprehensions in the region about Gandhi's plans, particularly after India played a big role in breaking up Pakistan and facilitating the emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign country in 1971. India's entry into the nuclear weapons club in 1974 also contributed to tensions in Southeast Asia.<ref name=Nanda>{{cite book|last=Nanda|first=Prakash|title=Rediscovering Asia: Evolution of India's Look-East Policy|publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=978-81-7062-297-0|year=2003|pages=220–226}}</ref> Relations only began to improve following Gandhi's endorsement of the [[Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality|ZOPFAN declaration]] and the disintegration of the SEATO alliance in the aftermath of Pakistani and American defeats in the region. Nevertheless, Gandhi's close relations with reunified [[Vietnam]] and her decision to recognize the Vietnam-installed Government of [[People's Republic of Kampuchea|Cambodia]] in 1980 meant that India and ASEAN were unable to develop a viable partnership.<ref name=Nanda />

On 26&nbsp;September 1981, Gandhi was conferred with the honorary degree of Doctor at the Laucala Graduation at the [[University of the South Pacific]] in Fiji.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=13882|title=USP: Honorary Degree of Doctor|website=www.usp.ac.fj|access-date=2 January 2020|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801200541/https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=13882|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Africa ===

Although independent India was initially viewed as a champion of various African independence movements, its cordial relationship with the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and its liberal views of British policies in [[East Africa]] had harmed its image as a staunch supporter of various independence movements in the [[third world]].<ref name="Ghosh2">{{cite book|first=Anjali|last=Ghosh|title=India's Foreign Policy|publisher=[[Pearson plc|Pearson]]|year=2009|pages=422–424|isbn=978-81-317-1025-8}}</ref> Indian condemnation of militant struggles in [[Mau Mau Uprising|Kenya]] and [[Algerian War|Algeria]] was in sharp contrast to China, who had supported armed struggle to win African independence.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> After reaching a high diplomatic point in the aftermath of Nehru's role in the [[Suez Crisis]], India's isolation from Africa was almost complete when only four nations—[[Ethiopia]], [[Kenya]], [[Nigeria]], and Libya—supported her during the [[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> After Gandhi became prime minister, diplomatic and economic relations with the states which had sided with India during the Sino-Indian War were expanded.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> Gandhi began negotiations with the Kenyan government to establish the Africa-India Development Cooperation. The Indian government also started considering the possibility of bringing Indians settled in Africa within the framework of its policy goals to help recover its declining geo-strategic influence. Gandhi declared the people of Indian origin settled in Africa as "Ambassadors of India".<ref name="Ghosh2" /> Efforts to rope in the Asian community to join Indian diplomacy, however, came to naught, in part because of the unwillingness of Indians to remain in politically insecure surroundings, and because of the exodus of African Indians to Britain with the passing of the [[Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968|Commonwealth Immigrants Act]] in 1968.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> In [[Uganda]], the African Indian community [[Expulsion of Asians from Uganda|suffered persecution and eventually expulsion]] under the government of [[Idi Amin]].<ref name="Oonk">{{cite book|first=Gijsbert|last=Oonk|title=Global Indian Diasporas: Exploring Trajectories of Migration and Theory|publisher=[[Amsterdam University Press]]|year=2007|page=189|isbn=978-90-5356-035-8}}</ref>

Foreign and domestic policy successes in the 1970s enabled Gandhi to rebuild India's image in the eyes of African states.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> Victory over Pakistan and India's possession of nuclear weapons showed the degree of India's progress.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> Furthermore, the conclusion of the Indo-Soviet treaty in 1971, and threatening gestures by the United States, to send its nuclear-armed [[Task Force 74]] into the [[Bay of Bengal]] at the height of the East Pakistan crisis had enabled India to regain its anti-imperialist image.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> Gandhi firmly tied Indian anti-imperialist interests in Africa to those of the Soviet Union.<ref name="Mawdsley">{{Cite book| publisher = Fahamu & Pambazuka| pages = 51–52|url={{Googlebooks|fMnTomlIPQwC|page=PA51|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-1-906387-65-5| last = Mawdsley| first = Emma|author2=Gerard McCann| title = India in Africa: Changing Geographies of Power| year = 2011}}</ref> Unlike Nehru, she openly and enthusiastically supported liberation struggles in Africa.<ref name="Mawdsley" /> At the same time, Chinese influence in Africa had declined owing to its incessant quarrels with the Soviet Union.<ref name="Ghosh2" /> These developments permanently halted India's decline in Africa and helped to reestablish its geo-strategic presence.<ref name="Ghosh2" />

=== The Commonwealth ===
[[File:Chegada ao Rio de Janeiro de Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, primeira ministra da Índia..tif|thumb|Gandhi on a visit to [[Rio de Janeiro]], 1968, [[Brazilian National Archives|National Archives of Brazil]]]]

The [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] is a voluntary association of mainly former British colonies. India maintained cordial relations with most of the members during Gandhi's time in power. In the 1980s, she along with Canadian [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] [[Pierre Trudeau]], Zambia's [[President of Zambia|president]] [[Kenneth Kaunda]], [[Australian Government|Australian]] [[Prime Minister of Australia|prime minister]] [[Malcolm Fraser]] and [[Singapore]] [[Prime Minister of Singapore|prime minister]] [[Lee Kuan Yew]] was regarded as being one of the pillars of the Commonwealth.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Low|first1=D.A.|title=The contraction of England : an inaugural lecture delivered before the University of Cambridge on 22 October 1984|date=1984|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]|isbn=978-0-521-31424-4|page=28|url={{Google books|U8o7AAAAIAAJ|page=PA42|keywords=gandhi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> India under Gandhi also hosted the 1983 [[Commonwealth Heads of Government]] summit in New Delhi. Gandhi used the meetings as a forum to put pressure on member countries to cut economic, sports, and cultural ties with [[apartheid]] South Africa.<ref>Danilewitz, J., 1998. Athletics & apartheid. [[Harvard International Review]], 20(4), p.36.</ref>

=== The Non-aligned Movement ===
[[File:Indira Gandhi & Nicolae Ceaușescu.jpg|thumb|Gandhi with [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] in 1969 {{Center|}}]]

In the early 1980s under Gandhi, India attempted to reassert its prominent role in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] by focusing on the relationship between disarmament and economic development. By appealing to the economic grievances of [[developing countries]], Gandhi and her successors exercised a moderating influence on the Non-aligned movement, diverting it from some of the [[Cold War]] issues that marred the controversial 1979 Havana meeting where Cuban leader [[Fidel Castro]] attempted to steer the movement towards the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gupte|first1=Pranay|title=Mother India : a political biography of Indira Gandhi|date=2011|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-14-306826-6|pages=499–500|edition=Rev.|url={{Google books|OOmK1lPWq80C|page=PR9|keywords=%22non%20aligned%20movement%22%20india%20indira|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> Although hosting the 1983 summit at Delhi boosted Indian prestige within the movement, its close relations with the Soviet Union and its pro-Soviet positions on [[Afghanistan]] and [[Cambodia]] limited its influence.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mamata remembers Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary|work=[[United News of India]]|url=http://www.uniindia.com/~/mamata-remembers-indira-gandhi-on-her-death-anniversary/States/news/1393309.html|access-date=16 July 2021|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716081816/http://www.uniindia.com/~/mamata-remembers-indira-gandhi-on-her-death-anniversary/States/news/1393309.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Western Europe ===
Gandhi spent a number of years in Europe during her youth and had formed many friendships there. During her premiership she formed friendships with many leaders including [[West Germany|West German]] chancellor, [[Willy Brandt]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brandt|first1=Willy|translator-last=Bell|translator-first=Anthea|title=Arms and hunger|date=1987|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=978-0-262-52127-7|pages=43–44|edition=1st MIT Press English language pbk.|url={{Google books|hBhr8W16XWMC|page=PP11|keywords=indira|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> and [[Government of Austria|Austrian]] chancellor [[Bruno Kreisky]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kreisky|first1=Bruno|last2=Lewis|first2=Jill|last3=Rathkolb|first3=Oliver|title=The struggle for a democratic Austria : Bruno Kreisky on peace and social justice|date=2000|publisher=[[Berghahn Books]]|location=New York|isbn=978-1-57181-155-4|pages=413–414|url={{Google books|lb6uBAAAQBAJ|page=PR11|keywords=%20gandhi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> She enjoyed a close working relationship with many British leaders including conservative premiers, [[Edward Heath]] and [[Margaret Thatcher]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gupte|first1=Pranay|title=Mother India : a political biography of Indira Gandhi|date=1992|publisher=[[Scribner's]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-684-19296-3|pages=516–517|url={{Google books|OOmK1lPWq80C|page=PR9|keywords=%20thatcher|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref>

=== Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries ===
The relationship between India and the Soviet Union deepened during Gandhi's rule. The main reason was the perceived bias of the United States and [[China]], rivals of the USSR, towards Pakistan. The support of the Soviets with arms supplies and the casting of a veto at the United Nations helped in winning and consolidating the victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. Before the war, Gandhi signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviets. They were unhappy with the 1974 nuclear test conducted by India but did not support further action because of the ensuing Cold War with the United States. Gandhi was unhappy with the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], but once again calculations involving relations with Pakistan and China kept her from criticising the Soviet Union harshly. The Soviets became the main arms supplier during the Gandhi years by offering cheap credit and transactions in rupees rather than in dollars. The easy trade deals also applied to non-military goods. Under Gandhi, by the early 1980s, the Soviets had become India's largest trading partner.<ref name="British Academic Press">{{cite book|editor1-last=Light|editor1-first=Margot |last=Duncan|first=Peter J.S. |title=Troubled friendships: Moscow's Third World ventures, Chapter II, Soviet-Indian Model|date=1993|publisher=British Academic Press|location=London [u.a.]|isbn=978-1-85043-649-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a7MA1F1TD08C&pg=PA29}}</ref>

==== Soviet intelligence in India ====
Soviet intelligence was involved in India during Indira Gandhi's administration, sometimes at Gandhi's expense. In the prelude to [[Operation Blue Star]], by 1981, the Soviets had launched ''Operation Kontakt'', which was based on a forged document purporting to contain details of the weapons and money provided by the ISI to Sikh militants who wanted to create an independent country.<ref name="Andrew20062">{{cite book |author=Christopher Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Msx8swEACAAJ |title=The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World: Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive |date=10 October 2006 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-00313-6 |page=152 |access-date=2 April 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628233718/https://books.google.com/books?id=Msx8swEACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 1982, [[Yuri Andropov]], the [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|General Secretary]] of the Communist Party and leader of the Soviet Union, approved a proposal to fabricate Pakistani intelligence documents detailing ISI plans to foment religious disturbances in Punjab and promote the creation of [[Khalistan]] as an independent Sikh state.<ref name="Andrew2014p2782">{{cite book |author=Christopher Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ9uAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR278 |title=The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB in the World |date=2 January 2014 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-197798-0 |pages=278– |access-date=2 April 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628233718/https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ9uAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR278 |url-status=live }}</ref> Indira Gandhi's decision to move troops into the Punjab was based on her taking seriously the information provided by the Soviets regarding secret CIA support for the Sikhs.<ref name="Andrew2014p2792">{{cite book |author=Christopher Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ9uAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR278 |title=The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB in the World |date=2 January 2014 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-197798-0 |pages=279– |access-date=2 April 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628233718/https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ9uAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR278 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the [[Mitrokhin Archive]], the Soviets used a new recruit in the New Delhi residency named "Agent S" who was close to Indira Gandhi as a major channel for providing her disinformation.<ref name="Andrew20062"/> Agent S provided Indira Gandhi with false documents purporting to show Pakistani involvement in the Khalistan conspiracy.<ref name="Andrew20062" /> The [[KGB]] became confident that it could continue to deceive Indira Gandhi indefinitely with fabricated reports of CIA and Pakistani conspiracies against her.<ref name="Andrew2014p2782"/> The Soviets persuaded [[Rajiv Gandhi]] during a visit to [[Moscow]] in 1983 that the CIA was engaged in subversion in the Punjab.<ref name="Andrew2014p2782" /> When Rajiv Gandhi returned to India, he declared this to be true.<ref name="Andrew2014p2782" /> The KGB was responsible for Indira Gandhi exaggerating the threats posed by both the CIA and Pakistan.<ref name="Andrew2014p2792"/> This KGB role in facilitating Operation Bluestar was acknowledged by [[Subramanian Swamy]] who stated in 1992 "The 1984 Operation Bluestar became necessary because of the vast disinformation against Sant [[Bhindranwale]] by the KGB, and repeated inside Parliament by the Congress Party of India."<ref name="Swamy1992">{{cite book |author=Subramanian Swamy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wQBIAAAAMAAJ |title=Building a New India: An Agenda for National Renaissance |publisher=UBS Publishers' Distributors |year=1992 |isbn=978-81-85674-21-6 |page=18 |access-date=2 April 2022 |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330072222/https://books.google.com/books?id=wQBIAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A report following the Mitrokhin archive also caused some historiographical controversy about Indira Gandhi.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bedi |first=Rahul |title=Book alleges KGB cash trail to India |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/book-alleges-kgb-cash-trail-to-india-1.494244 |access-date=2022-04-23 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en |archive-date=23 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423092139/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/book-alleges-kgb-cash-trail-to-india-1.494244 |url-status=live }}</ref> In India, a senior leader of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], [[L. K. Advani]], requested of the Government a white paper on the role of foreign intelligence agencies and a judicial enquiry on the allegations.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060216101512/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/03/stories/2005100309241200.htm "Advani seeks white paper on KGB charges"], ''The Hindu'', 3 October 2005.</ref> The spokesperson of the Indian Congress party referred to the book as "pure [[sensationalism]] not even remotely based on facts or records" and pointed out that the book is not based on official records from the Soviet Union. L.K Advani raised his voice because the book refers to ex-prime minister Indira Gandhi's (Codenamed VANO) relations with the KGB.<ref>{{cite web |title=रूस के जासूस ने किया बड़ा खुलासा ! इन्दिरा गाँधी थी रसिया की इंटेलिजेंस एजेंसी की जासूस ? – RAJNITI TAK NEWS |url=https://rajnititak.in/2021/2020/rajniti-tak-news-rajnititak-news-russian-agency-revealed-about-indra-gandhi/rajnititaknews |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123170450/https://rajnititak.in/2021/2020/rajniti-tak-news-rajnititak-news-russian-agency-revealed-about-indra-gandhi/rajnititaknews |archive-date=2021-01-23 |website=rajnititak.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Allegations in Mitrokhin Archives vague: Congress. |url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/18kgb.htm |access-date=21 June 2015 |website=Rediff News |archive-date=24 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524012739/http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/18kgb.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The KGB was alleged to be directly link to Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi (code-named Vano). "Suitcases full of banknotes were said to be routinely taken to the Prime Minister's house. Former Syndicate member [[S. K. Patil]] is reported to have said that Mrs. Gandhi did not even return the suitcases".<ref>Andrew & Mitrokhin, ''The Mitrokhin Archive II- The KGB and the World, The Special Relationship With India: Part I'', p. 311-312.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pubby |first=Manu |title=USSR supplied clandestine cash to Congress party: CIA |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ussr-supplied-clandestine-cash-to-congress-party-cia/articleshow/56787127.cms |access-date=2021-07-28 |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728044541/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ussr-supplied-clandestine-cash-to-congress-party-cia/articleshow/56787127.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> An extensive footprint in the Indian media was also described- "According to KGB files, by 1973 it had ten Indian newspapers on its payroll (which cannot be identified for legal reasons) as well as a press agency under its control. During 1972 the KGB claimed to have planted 3,789 articles in Indian newspapers–probably more than in any other country in the non-Communist world."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lall |first=Rashmee R. |date=2005 |title='KGB moles infiltrated Indira's PMO' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/kgb-moles-infiltrated-indiras-pmo/articleshow/1234437.cms |access-date=2021-07-28 |website=The Times of India |language=en |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728044541/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/kgb-moles-infiltrated-indiras-pmo/articleshow/1234437.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> According to its files, the number fell to 2,760 in 1973 but rose to 4,486 in 1974 and 5,510 in 1975. Mitrokhin estimated that in some major NATO countries, "despite [[Active measures|active-measures]] campaigns, the KGB was able to plant a little more than 1 per cent of the articles which it placed in the Indian press."<ref>Andrew & Mitrokhin, ''The Mitrokhin Archive II- The KGB and the World, The Special Relationship With India: Part I'', p. 323.</ref>

=== United States ===
[[File:Indira Gandhi and LBJ meeting in the Oval Office (1).tif|thumb|right|Gandhi meeting President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in the Oval Office on 28&nbsp;March 1966]]
When Gandhi came to power in 1966, [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon Johnson]] was the US president. At the time, India was reliant on the US for food aid. Gandhi resented the US policy of food aid being used as a tool to force India to adopt policies favoured by the US. She also resolutely refused to sign the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]] (NPT). Relations with the US were strained badly under President Richard Nixon and his favouring of Pakistan during the Bangladesh liberation war. Nixon despised Gandhi politically and personally.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Van Dijk|editor1-first=Ruud|editor2-last=Glenn Gray|editor2-first=William|editor3-last=Savranskaya|editor3-first=Svetlana|editor4-last=Suri|editor4-first=Jeremi|editor5-last=Zhai|editor5-first=Qiang |title=Encyclopedia of the Cold War.|date=2008|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-203-88021-0|pages=340–341|url={{Google books|QgX0bQ3Enj4C|page=PR3|keywords=%22indira%20gandhi%22%20johnson|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> In 1981, Gandhi met President [[Ronald Reagan]] for the first time at the [[North–South Summit]] held to discuss global poverty. She had been described to him as an 'Ogre', but he found her charming and easy to work with and they formed a close working relationship during her premiership in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Wolfgang|editor-first=Hoppenstedt|title=Global management|date=2005|publisher=Lit|location=Wien|isbn=978-3-8258-8644-8|pages=65–66|url={{Google books|ZaeM0YNbRA4C|page=PA61|keywords=indira%20|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref>