Synopsis This book is designed to serve as an introductory guide to a subject whose complexity is matched by its significance: international politics. Its object is to discover and point out the basic principles that determine the course of the political relations among sovereign states, and to seek to demonstrate their applicability to at least some of our contemporary dilemmas. It is neither a history of recent diplomacy nor an apology for the foreign policy of any government; the author has made a real effort to preserve some of the ‘scholarly objectivity’ that is so frequently a casualty in discussions of contemporary international relations. Being intended primarily for readers, however, the role of India in world affairs serves as a frequent point of reference. The book is designed as a college text, but it is hoped that the general reader will discover some value in it.