Strategic Challenges

In the shifting sands of contemporary geopolitics, this edited volume puts the spotlight firmly on urgent strategic challenges India is likely to face by the year 2030. Already, major powers like China and Russia are adopting muscular policies with the intent of changing the global order. This includes attempts to take territories–claimed by them on the basis of, at times, imagined history–through the use of military force. The US and the West are struggling to retain their pre-eminence, while emerging powers in the Indo-Pacific are demanding representation at the global high table. Each player is seeking to shape events to their advantage.

As alliances are altered, India finds itself in a position that calls for dexterous, nimble and bold policies. India is also presented with an opportunity to wield influence that would place it in an advantageous geopolitical position. Strategic Challenges aims to form a fuller picture of the situation by examining the various pieces that make up this dynamic kaleidoscope, with chapters authored by India’s leading thinkers, analysts and strategists.

Beginning with an introduction by the former foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale, the topics the book tackles include the volatility of India’s neighbourhood, its hesitant embrace of the US, implications of Russia’s warming ties with China, modern military technology on land, sea and air, and the challenges of artificial intelligence, among others.