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 civilizational 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 conducts its policies, and the interplay between domestic forces and security policy. It will interest political scientists, policymakers, analysts and researchers 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.
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