POLITICS AND GEOPOLITICS: DECODING INDIA’S NEIGHBOURHOOD CHALLENGE

by Harsh V. Pant

India’s South Asia policy, by its very nature, has to be extremely dynamic and nimble. The Narendra Modi government has also articulated an ambitious ‘Neighbourhood First’ approach and has invested significant diplomatic capital in it over the last few years. But the underlying factors that have traditionally framed India’s difficulties in getting its neighbourhood policy right remain as potent as ever.Against this backdrop, Politics and Geopolitics brings together some of the finest thinkers in the country to deliberate on the gamut of political, diplomatic and economic issues that India is facing in its neighbourhood beyond Chinese hostilities and the perennial lack of trust with Pakistan. Each chapter provides an overview of the last few years under the Modi government and evaluates the state of the relationship as it exists today, touching upon the main areas of disputes and charting out a way forward for the bilateral engagement.This extremely timely and crucial compilation provides a kaleidoscopic view of India’s neighbourhood challenge.

Genres: Nonfiction, International Relations, India

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2021

Reviews

[Kirti Prajapati · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded to 3. decently written, just personally did not find anything new or exciting

[Akash Jha · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Despite being the weaker of the two players, it is India that is not only challenging China, when it comes to major Ideas of our times, but it is also standing up & confronting China to preserve its vital interests."

- Harsh V. Pant, Politics and Geopolitics

I was very apprehensive before starting with this. Not because I have any negative opinions on Mr. Pant and his works but just because when I read a book on international affairs, I desire that the book be authored by one writer so that we have a singular viewpoint during the entire read. Here, the number of authors or to better say essayists being 8, I had doubts as to whether I would even be able to finish this one or not.

However, what started with an apprehension, in the end, turned out to be more than a decent read. I think this is partly because, every essayist herein, who has penned an essay on one of our neighbours, has had years of experience of academically studying the relationship between India and the said neighbouring nation.

This might not be the book one should refer to if one wants to have a very in - depth understanding of our relations with any of our neighbours. However, any such journey of going into the depth of things has to begin with the scratching of the surface and when seen from that angle, this book is a brilliant read! So, basis your preference or the stage at which you are wrt Indian International Relations, you can decide to give this one a read or miss.

[Walter Sylesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick glimpse into India's neighbourhood challenges before 2021. The essays cover all of India's neighbours with a snapshot of their politics and geopolitical implications.

Definitely a suggested read for a beginner or casual reader while also catering to the more discerning generalist. Most reviews decry this book for its lack of depth but that doesn't make it an average or trite read.

I have a considerable idea of India's neighbourhood and challenges. Still this book was a source of value addition. There were hints from each of the essays that I could add to my playbook of diplomatic practices.

[Nivan Bagchi · Rating 1 out of 5]

In all fairness I only read 3 chapters.

However, that was enough for me to assess the quality of the book. Despite reputed names getting attached to it like Harsh Pant and Aparna Pande, which is also the reason I bought it, its downright boring and lazy.

All the articles are temporal, as in covering newspaper news. So with each passing day, since I have written this review, the book becomes even more redundant. (Some feat!)

Don't buy this book. Better read wikipedia. It's free too.

[Rituraj Kashyap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for getting a basic idea of the issues with our neighbouring countries. However, some of the chapters are dated since a lot of things happened even within a year of its publication.

[J S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inisghtful, in very specific terms of fine print (context of events) you dont find in newspaper articles.

[Pramod Pant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essays by different people. Badly written at places as the book is a compilation of essays by many writers - good and bad - and it seems that the viewpoint is not fair but merely an Indian viewpoint of it’s neighbourhood. That’s understandable, given the fact that the editor is an Indian ( from my clan actually, a Pant) but it harms the credentials of the book. :)

Finally, if you are regularly reading newspapers, you might have already worked it out. Not much else for your ilk.