"India's Word : How India's Prime Ministers shaped Foreign Policy" by Rajiv Dogra is a well researched book that details and demonstrates the imprint left by Eight of India's Prime Ministers on Foreign policy. The father of History, Herodotus lamented and rued that men do not rule circumstances, rather it is circumstances that rule men - hence, it may not be a good prospect to ascribe policy failure/success to a single individual. Nevertheless, the book offers a balanced view in this regard. I've previously read another fine work by the author, called 'Durand's Curse'.
People interested in polity & international affairs would find the work entertaining, to say the least. For instance, India was offered a permanent seat at UNSC twice - by USA (1950) and USSR (1955), but turned down the offers and instead chose to support China's candidature! Pandit Nehru, ever the idealist, a towering persona had to endure the humiliating loss to China in 1962, but withstood the joint US-UK pressures during 1963 negotiations with China. Shastri, his successor fought with Pakistan and left an imprint in his short tenure. Indira Gandhi's and perhaps India's finest moment came during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
Rajiv Gandhi's tenure was a juxtaposed mixture in foreign policy arena with IPKF misadventure. PV Narasimha Rao, a much aligned and now highly regarded PM braved the 1991 Economic crisis, started ties with Israel, initiated Look East Policy, visited post revolution Iran and reset ties with China and USA, braving the Punjab Insurgency. Vajpayee, like Nehru was a towering figure whose policy failures and flip flops were often glossed over due to his charisma. Manmohan Singh, the only PM of India to hold a Doctorate till date successfully negotiated Civilian nuclear deal with USA, but sadly with Pakistan, India seemed to run out of ideas on how to deal. The chapter on the current Indian Prime minister, is a work in progress, but is a challenging one with the global arena appearing bleak for Indian prospects despite the PM's highly personalized aggressive diplomacy.
Overall, it was a pleasurable read!
Book - "India's World : How Prime Ministers shaped Foreign Policy" by Rajiv Dogra (English) - Rupa Publications
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