India At Risk

In recent times security has become the most discussed issue in the country. It covers a wide gamut – economic, territorial, internal, defence, cyber and space. Security has a lot of interconnections with diplomacy and foreign policy.
The complexities have seen a further paradigm shift due to low intensity conflict and asymmetric warfare. News of paramilitary soldiers being targeted, killed and maimed is as regular as reports of border incursions, ceasefire violations and transgressions along the LoC and LAC.

What is more worrisome is the lack of continuity and maturity for we see the same problems occurring in the same manner and they get responded to in the very same way. The lack of a national security policy has become a regular theme of discourse. This is heard and read in almost every second seminar and panel discussion. The proceedings of such seminars and discussions have been published in great numbers outlining the pertinent issues.

Since independence, India has been forced to fight wars and in every case, except for 1971, the war was thrust upon us. The first of them all arrived at our doorsteps before either India or Pakistan had settled down fully in their respective jobs. Raiders were sent into the state of Jammu and Kashmir to seize it.

Post-war analysis has been taking place without fail, but it seems things have ended there itself with no importance given to the lessons learnt. This book will serve as a crucial link here for it is an exercise to put the relevant events and thoughts behind this issue in the same place.

What saddens is that even after fighting full-fledged wars in 1948, 62, 65, and 1971 we had never ever bothered to sit and revamp the national security structure and mechanism. In fact, the way the Group of Ministers Report post-Kargil conflict of 1999 was handled and then again the way recommendations of the Naresh Chandra Committee have been implemented piecemeal exposes lack of political will.

The Naresh Chandra report was the result of the first-ever focused exercise since the Kargil Review Committee, headed by the late K Subrahmanyam, 10 years ago after which no such holistic review of all aspects of national security was done. And, it will require another group of ministers or committee to review the implementation of the recommendations of the Naresh Chandra Committee. It is here that this book will serve as a great link.

This book by Jaswant Singh is commendable becaue it throws light on everything that has affected our national security and defence right from independence. India at Risk: Mistakes, Misconceptions and Misadventures of Security Policy is different for its sweep of the entire spectrum.

It is the writer’s success that he has not only informed but has also emphasised the absence of clarity on overall national strategic objectives. Once the reader finishes reading the book he will be aware of the wars and events which have shaped national security and will be compelled to ponder over the necessity to enunciate a “National Security Doctrine” for both traditional and non-traditional security issues.

At least national security should have been the one issue which could have elicited political consensus in formulating such a doctrine but it is conspicuous in the way Kargil Committee recommendations and then Naresh Chandra Committee recommendations became a victim of political convenience. Jaswant Singh has put forth so much on vital strands of thinking which influence policy making.

It will also help in indicating the contours of the foreign and defence policies. It is a peep into India’s international, regional and national priorities. This book is full of views and opinions encompassing all our national security need which can only come out due to writer’s interest and experience. Jaswant Singh served in the Army, fought wars, joined politics and has been country’s Minister of Defence and Minister of External Affairs apart from handling the economy as the Finance Minister.

At times, people who are prolific readers of national security issues might find that the writer has repeated things like the description of events during wars like those which happened in 1965 India Pakistan war or again what happened during 1971 war. But can one complete such a big task without weaving every event? Had these not been repeated the story would have remained incomplete. With media paying attention on issues concerning national security and foreign policy the awareness on them has risen. This book will add the much needed soul to such discourse and will be of great help.