Author: Stephen P Cohen
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 377
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0195660358
Description
This book is one of the first to offer an assessment of India's strategic and political power since it became a declared nuclear weapons state in 1998, and provides a comprehensive assessment of India's strategic ambitions, the way in which it formulates and conducts its policies.
This book is one of the first to offer an assessment of India's strategic and political power since it became a declared nuclear weapons state in 1998 and fought the Kargil war in 1999. Stephen Cohen makes the case that India has become, with China and Japan, one of the three most important states in Asia.
The author contends that India's power is balanced and paradoxical. Its economy is thriving, yet it is likely to contain over half of the world's poorest people. Its strategic elite is ambitious, yet it has been unable to translate its civilization distinctiveness into international influence and respect. Further, while India has long been praised as the 'world's largest democracy', the logic of democracy has triggered a series of domestic revolutions that are transforming the economy, the unique institution of caste, the relationship between India's states and the central government, and India's very identity.
Cohen further argues that the United States should build on the recent warming in the relations between the two countries to ensure that India does not turn hostile and threaten to block American policy initiatives. Furthermore, the prospect of nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan (or even China) raises the stakes in South Asia even higher.
The book provides a comprehensive assessment of India's strategic ambitions, the way in which it formulates and conduct its policies, and the interplay between domestic forced and security policy.
It will interest political scientists, policymakers, analysts and researches in strategic and international studies. The book will also provide a valuable resource for those who are looking for a deeper understanding of India's mindset, the way it implements policies, and the influence of tradition and domestic politics on its relations with the rest of the world.
Contents
Introduction
CHAPTER ONE
Situating India
CHAPTER TWO
The World View of India's Strategic Elite
CHAPTER THREE
"The India That Can't Say Yes"
CHAPTER FOUR
The Domestic Dimension
CHAPTER FIVE
India as a Military Power
CHAPTER SIX
India as a Nuclear Power
CHAPTER SEVEN
India and Pakistan
CHAPTER EIGHT
India as an Asian Power
CHAPTER NINE
India and the United State
CHAPTER TEN
India Rising
Notes
Index