An insightful examination of the challenges that have characterized Indian foreign policy in recent years by one of our more thoughtful political figures

For India to grow, prosper and achieve its true potential, it requires peace on its periphery. But this amity has eluded it since 1947. The challenge from Pakistan and China, and now from the China-Pakistan nexus, has not allowed India to break out of its neighborhood quagmire.

In the past two decades, the challenges to India's national security have only exacerbated both in complexity and intensity. The seizure of Afghanistan by the Taliban and the complete withdrawal of all the military forces of the United States and its allies have opened up a security void creating a strategic vacuum in the region. It would have profound implications not only for Pax Americana, but for nations in the arc of turbulence. The repercussions in J&K and Punjab would be ominous in the days ahead.

10 Flashpoints; 20 Years looks back at the security situations that have impacted India in the past two decades and dissects our responses-both successes and failures-to them. In a first, Manish Tewari examines the tools and processes of Indian statecraft defence, diplomacy and intelligence, and weaves a veritable tapestry around the institutions and individuals that form part of the country's national security establishment. He also offers suggestions on ways in which the national security doctrine can be reformed to meet the demands of the twenty-first century's regional and global security environment.