Sino-Indian War, 1962 and the Role of Great Powers

The easy availability of Indian Government documents allowed early commentators to focus on the policies pursued by India to counter the relentless advance by China in the Western border region, and the prospect of a similar thrust in the Eastern region in 1962. The spotlight settled on the inadequacy of the ‘Forward Policy’, which was a response to Chinese military pressure on the ground. The availability in recent years of argumentation between the Soviet and the Chinese communist parties on this as well as other issues, has enabled a holistic view to be taken of the geopolitical environment, which determined China’s relations with India at the time. This article is a partial attempt to examine this aspect.