Book Review: India and Asian Geopolitics by Shivshakar Menon - A Heavyweight’s Perspective on India’s Role in a Shifting Asian Order
Cover of "India and Asian Geopolitics" by Shivshankar Menon India and Asian Geopolitics by Shivshankar Menon is exactly what you’d expect from someone who’s been at the very top of India’s diplomatic chain of command. With over four decades in foreign service, including stints as both Foreign Secretary and National Security Adviser, Menon’s book offers a firsthand perspective in understanding India’s geopolitical compulsions. The structure is clean: Past, Present, and Future. It begins with India’s early years navigating the post-independence chaos, the Cold War, and the Non-Aligned Movement, and moves through the Bangladesh war, nuclear testing, the rise of China, and into the present era marked by new alignments and emerging threats. The final section looks ahead, offering reflections on how Indian foreign policy needs to adapt in a shifting world order. That said, reading it isn’t always easy. The language can feel overly bureaucratic, and there’s a noticeable ideologic...
