On Traditional Political Culture and Dualism inIndian Foreign Policy Thinking

　　ABSTRACT: Indian thinking on foreign diplomacy was formed and developed long before independence and can be traced back to India’s traditional political culture. Indian political culture includes not only the realist oriented “Kautilya’s tactics” and radical “Swaraj” thought, but also Ashoka’s "moral and religious" ideas which extoll virtuous principles (Dharma-Vijaya) and “non-violent” thinking. This article considers the dualism of Indian political culture from five standpoints, including history, geography, religion, and culture in the broad sense, and describes the characteristics of the Indian political culture. Under the influence of traditional political culture, India has developed a unique perspective in its thinking on foreign diplomacy.