What do you think?
Rate this book
Covert: The Psychology of War and Peace
After the tremendous success of The Spy Chronicles, A.S. Dulat and Asad Durrani participated in a series of conversations on the psychology of war and peace; these have evolved into this fascinating book, written with psychiatrist Neil K. Aggarwal.
Covert takes the reader right into the head of the two spymasters. Delving into their personal and professional trajectories that moulded them in the early years, the conversation traces the extent to which their Indian and Pakistani identities have defined them. Masterfully moderated by Aggarwal, the discussion then turns to the domain of international relations, exploring why the governments of India and Pakistan collaborate in certain areas, but not in others. What emerges is a remarkably forthright, provocatively honest appraisal of the peacebuilding process between the two nations that appear inherently hostile to each other but share so much in terms of history and cultural identity.
The dialogues in Covert reveal a deep camaraderie between Dulat and Durrani, who have headed the intelligence operations for their respective countries. But more importantly perhaps, it provides deep insights into the shadowy world of negotiation and subterfuge. It is an eye-opener and a must-read for anyone invested in peace and amity in South Asia.
Covert takes the reader right into the head of the two spymasters. Delving into their personal and professional trajectories that moulded them in the early years, the conversation traces the extent to which their Indian and Pakistani identities have defined them. Masterfully moderated by Aggarwal, the discussion then turns to the domain of international relations, exploring why the governments of India and Pakistan collaborate in certain areas, but not in others. What emerges is a remarkably forthright, provocatively honest appraisal of the peacebuilding process between the two nations that appear inherently hostile to each other but share so much in terms of history and cultural identity.
The dialogues in Covert reveal a deep camaraderie between Dulat and Durrani, who have headed the intelligence operations for their respective countries. But more importantly perhaps, it provides deep insights into the shadowy world of negotiation and subterfuge. It is an eye-opener and a must-read for anyone invested in peace and amity in South Asia.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2024
4 people want to read
About the author
A.S. Dulat
9 books26 followersAMARJIT SINGH DULAT served as the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s spy agency, under Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. He later joined Vajpayee’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), where his job was to ‘monitor, manage and direct’ the government of India’s peace initiative in Kashmir.
Dulat was born in Sialkot, Punjab, in December 1940. With India’s Partition, his father Justice Shamsher Singh Dulat, ICS, was posted to Delhi. Dulat was educated in Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Punjab University, Chandigarh, after which he joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1965, and then the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in 1969, where he served for almost thirty years. At IB he headed the Kashmir Group during the turbulent 1990s till he joined and headed R&AW.
Since leaving the government in 2004, Dulat has been active on the track two circuit, and has visited Pakistan. He has co-authored a paper with former Pakistani intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani on the benefits of intelligence cooperation between India and Pakistan.
During service, Dulat accumulated a vast reservoir of goodwill with Kashmiris of all shades. As Jane’s Intelligence Digest put it in 2001: ‘Well known for his social skills, Dulat prefers dialogue to clandestine manoeuvres. He has built up an impressive network of personal contacts in Kashmir including militants.’ A decade after retirement, that goodwill remains intact, with Kashmiris dropping in on him and his wife Paran at their Friends Colony house in Delhi, to share gossip, information, and advice.
Dulat was born in Sialkot, Punjab, in December 1940. With India’s Partition, his father Justice Shamsher Singh Dulat, ICS, was posted to Delhi. Dulat was educated in Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Punjab University, Chandigarh, after which he joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1965, and then the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in 1969, where he served for almost thirty years. At IB he headed the Kashmir Group during the turbulent 1990s till he joined and headed R&AW.
Since leaving the government in 2004, Dulat has been active on the track two circuit, and has visited Pakistan. He has co-authored a paper with former Pakistani intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani on the benefits of intelligence cooperation between India and Pakistan.
During service, Dulat accumulated a vast reservoir of goodwill with Kashmiris of all shades. As Jane’s Intelligence Digest put it in 2001: ‘Well known for his social skills, Dulat prefers dialogue to clandestine manoeuvres. He has built up an impressive network of personal contacts in Kashmir including militants.’ A decade after retirement, that goodwill remains intact, with Kashmiris dropping in on him and his wife Paran at their Friends Colony house in Delhi, to share gossip, information, and advice.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.