India's Near East

‘Paliwal dives into the myriad interconnections that shape India’s eastern periphery to decipher the tumult in Bangladesh. …The book is a product of laborious research, unflinching analysis and precise prose.’ -- <b><i>The Hindu</b></i> 'A ... powerful argument.' -- <b><I>The Print</I></b> 'Required reading for those looking to understand the complexities and competing foreign and domestic tensions that underpin India's foreign policy.' -- <b><I>Asian Review of Books</I></b> 'India's Near East could not have arrived at a better time.' -- <b><I>Himal Southasian</i></b> ‘Broadly conceived, deeply researched and vividly written, Avinash Paliwal’s book opens up new dimensions of India’s international history and foreign policy. Indispensable for everyone interested in the past, present and potential futures of India in Asia.’ -- <b>Srinath Raghavan, Professor of International Relations and History, Ashoka University</b> ‘India’s Near East is a rigorous scholarly work of great contemporary relevance. For a deep and basic understanding of the geopolitical dynamics of a partitioned land that was once administratively united by colonialism, and for its twentieth-century evolution through war, conflict and social and administrative change, this will long be the book to turn to.’ -- <b>Shivshankar Menon, former Indian Foreign Secretary, Ambassador to China and National Security Adviser, and author of <I>Indian and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present</I></b> 'A riveting account of the pressures of cross-border migration, identity politics, and the contradictions of official policy that have frustrated India’s ambitions to rewrite the political geography of its near eastern borderlands and counter threats from China and Pakistan. Drawing on a wealth of primary material, including hitherto untapped intelligence sources, this is an innovative interpretation of the limits of post-colonial nation-building and statecraft.' -- <b>Farzana Shaikh, Associate Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs, and author of <I>Making Sense of Pakistan</I></b> ‘Paliwal unpicks the seams between South and Southeast Asia in an insightful book that fills gaps in our knowledge. 'India’s Near East' reasseses the interconnections across lines drawn on a map and will spur debate about India’s approach to its northeast and eastern neighbours.’ -- <b>Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, and author of <I>Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations during the Cold War</I></b> ‘India’s Near East sheds new light on India’s northeastern borderlands, which for decades have been neglected by politicians in Delhi. It also offers a uniquely Indian perspective on the conflicts in Myanmar, a topic normally covered by Western scholars and analysts. Paliwal critiques India’s policies towards the northeastern states, Myanmar and Bangladesh. His well-researched book is a valuable contribution to understanding the complexities of one of Asia’s ethnically most diverse regions and its seemingly never-ending tribal uprisings and civil wars.’ -- <b>Bertil Lintner, journalist, expert on South-East Asia, and author of <I>The Golden Land Ablaze: Coups, Insurgents and the State in Myanmar</I></b>