There could not be a better time to write or, indeed, read this book. With the 'strategic strikes' against cross-border terrorists putting the spotlight firmly on the Prime Minister, the timing for a book that professes to tell us the thinking behind his 'doctrine' can't be faulted. The book does live up to the expectations it arouses in terms of explaining the rationale behind India's policy shifts, but it can't exactly be called objective because it shies away from any critique of the current regime.
That's not very surprising, given that it is edited by a group of people considered PM Narendra Modi's backroom boys - BJP-backed researcher Anirban Ganguly; coordinator of Overseas Friends of BJP, Vijay Chauthaiwale; and strategic analyst Uttam Kumar Sinha. Their effort has been to put in context the shifts in Indian diplomacy, be it the PM's proactive pitches to win over neighbours (except Pakistan), or stitching together new engagements with smaller but significant countries (both economically as well as strategically). Of course, a degree of acceptability has been sought to be brought in through contributions from 21 different authors - the backroom boys are the editors, remember - most of who are either foreigners or people of Indian origin. But the book still ends up being a mirror of Modi's policy thinking, without the required criticisms.
The book explains the 'Modi Doctrine' as being a combination of problem solving, thematically connecting the dots - which were either ignored or undervalued by his predecessors - in areas such as cultural connect and personal touch, and positioning the country in a global leadership role. A fine line that runs through all the chapters presents the shift in India's approach to the world, and vice-versa, and attempts to position Modi as a world leader. The 'doctrine' involves realigning regional equations, economic diplomacy, stitching personal equations with world leaders, breaking logjams in various longstanding issues and, most important, keeping Indian interests foremost. The book captures the effort that has gone behind positioning India among global economies, which is, interestingly, said to be based on the ethos and values derived from ancient times.
This includes a different and alternative philosophy of globalisation called Vasudhaiva Katumbakam (world as one family). To understand this, one needs to jump to the last chapter authored by Ganguly himself, who puts Indian foreign policy into five compartments - Samman (dignity and honour), Samvad (engagement and dialogue), Samridhi (prosperity), Suraksha (security) and Sanskriti (culture) - which as a whole is called Panchamrit. Ancient wisdom mumbo-jumbo? Hardly. This chapter puts the entire book in context, and makes it much easier to understand how the minds near the PM, work.
Several authors laud the PM's outreach with the Diaspora - with Chauthaiwale as the prime architect - and present this as the prime factor that is enabling the shift in reshaping, altering and repositioning India. Manoj Ladwa, a young entrepreneur in the UK with business interests in India as well, describes the aspirations of his fraternity, and how the perception of global investors towards India is changing. But engaging with the Diaspora also means moving away from the Nehruvian philosophy of dissociation from those who quit their nationalities. Sreeram Chaulia,a professor at O.P. Jindal University, explains in another chapter that the new NRI and PIO lobby is coming together in the US to take care of Indian interests, on the same lines of what the Jewish community worldwide does for Israel. Lisa Curtis, a US-based academician, describes Modi's regime as more aggressive than his predecessor Manmohan Singh in building India's relationship with the US. She argues that this could be to counter the rising Chinese influence worldwide.
The book also talks about how the Modi government reached out to the regional players, sorted out long-standing problems and helped them in their infrastructure building. This includes insights about Bangladesh in two chapters, authored by former High Commissioner to India, Tariq A. Karim and by Bangladeshi academician Shahab E. Khan. Former IAS officer Shakti Sinha writes about the developing partnership with the Afghans. The strength of the changing dynamics of the region was tested recently, when India successfully isolated Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, and got the SAARC summit in Islamabad postponed. The insights shared in this book bring out how India turned these relationships in its favour.
If anything, the book is an interesting read, especially for those who want to explore and understand the contours of the 'Modi Doctrine', the RSS's thought process and values, along with the changing global dynamics.
But as mentioned before, the editors form the core group of PM Modi's foreign policy, and as such, several gaps remain unaddressed. For instance, a lot needs to be done to find solutions to soften the impact of adverse Chinese diplomacy. The book also doesn't offer any clear insight into the PM's Pakistan policy. So, if you are looking for some meatier, objective criticism of the current regime on these or other aspects, you need to look elsewhere.