India, Aug. 9 -- Strategic interests will always drive foreign policy, but they are often easier to pursue when reinforced by a deeper reservoir of historical trust

The India-Indonesia relationship demonstrates that the strongest diplomatic partnerships are not built merely through strategic interests. They endure because civilisational memory creates a level of political trust that diplomacy alone cannot manufacture.

Foreign policy is often explained through the language of interests. Nations cooperate because they share security concerns, economic priorities or geopolitical objectives. Yet some relationships defy this logic. The evolving partnership between India and Indonesia suggests that history can do more than decorate diplomacy....