Events

Book Launch: ‘Power and Diplomacy: India’s Foreign Policies during the Cold War’

Date and Time

April 5, 2019

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Location

Multipurpose Hall, Kamladevi Complex, India International Centre

Book Launch and Discussion

Guest of Honour: Hamid Ansari, Former Vice President of India 

Panellists:

  • Shivshankar Menon, Former National Security Adviser of India
  • Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindu
  • Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Visiting Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research
  • Zorawar Daulet Singh, Author and Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

About the Book

The notion that a monolithic idea of ‘nonalignment’ shaped India’s foreign policy since its inception is a popular view. In Power and Diplomacy, Zorawar Daulet Singh challenges conventional wisdom by unveiling another layer of India’s strategic culture. In a richly detailed narrative using new archival material, the author not only reconstructs the worldviews and strategies that underlay geopolitics during the Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi years, he also illuminates the significant transformation in Indian statecraft as policymakers redefined some of their fundamental precepts on India’s role in in the subcontinent and beyond. His contention is that those exertions of Indian policymakers are equally apposite and relevant today.

Whether it is about crafting a sustainable set of equations with competing great powers, formulating an intelligent Pakistan policy, managing India’s ties with its smaller neighbours, dealing with China’s rise and Sino-American tensions, or developing a sustainable Indian role in Asia, Power and Diplomacy strikes at the heart of contemporary debates on India’s unfolding foreign policies.

About the Author

Zorawar Daulet Singh is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, India, and is associated with the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. For the past decade, he has been a regular commentator and columnist on India’s foreign policy and various dimensions of India-China relations. His co-authored books include India-China Relations: The Border Issue and Beyond and Chasing the Dragon: Will India Catch up with China? He holds a PhD in international relations from King’s College London, and an MA from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University.

Tea will be served at 6 p.m.

RSVP for the event: president.cpr@cprindia.org