Sandeep Dewan - Böcker

In the book "Comprehensive National Power - A Model for India" an attempt has been made to quantify and describe those attributes that most accurately portray India's capability to exert its national will. An effort has been made to access how various powers compared in this study could exert their national power to leverage the international environment to their national advantage. This study has been carried out in the backdrop of the rise and fall of countries and empires, and an assessment of the inbuilt longevity to power. This well researched book is a result of the project study allocated by Headquarters Army Training Command to the United Service Institution of India, New Delhi. This study is likely to be a foundational work for future studies on the subject. This would eventually lead to more awareness of the concept of Comprehensive National Power. As a result a national consensus is likely to emerge on the steps India would need to take to further hone its Comprehensive National Power in order to realise the national aspirations.

China's Maritime Power dates back thousands of years. China has one of the oldest naval traditions in the world, dating from at least the end of the Warring States period in 221 BC. Nonetheless, China has historically been a continental state with a large ground force and only a coastal navy with limited blue water capability. The rise of modern day China raises considerable regional and security concerns, besides economic and political competition towards finding a rightful place in power politics of the South Asian Region and hence needs a critical analysis. There is a need to focus future strategies to deal with such challenges, both in the medium and long term. An effort to achieve the same has been undertaken in this book. The book is sure to stimulate further discussions on China's navy and its ambitions.

Most of the recent conflicts have taken place within states. The larger tragedies in these conflicts are that civilians are main victims and that has forced the international community to intervene. This has resulted in additional demand of UN Peacekeeping forces with varying demands based on the kind of conflict. The book giving examples from the Indian experience brings out how peacekeepers become peace builders.

History has shown that rising powers inevitably trample upon their rival's natural sphere of Influence. The Indo-Pacific region needs to work towards a security construct that leverages the civilizational linkages to expand cooperation and build partnership across the Indo-Pacific. This book is built around themes of national aspirations, regional security challenges and generation of strategic options.