AASHUTOSH PATHAK, C01

BOOK- WHAT TO SAY AND WHEN TO SHUTUP

-BY RAKESH GODHWANI
About the Author
Rakesh Godhwani calls himself a nobody. After spending amazing
formative years in great organizations in the high-tech space like Wipro,
Intel and Qualcomm – doing different roles in sales, product marketing
and business development – Rakesh realized that his passion lay in
helping others reach their maximum potential and fulfill their dreams.

Rakesh currently heads IIM Bangalore Alumni Association, coaches

entrepreneurs and leaders in the hi-tech sectors, teaches Managerial
Communication for leaders at IIM Bangalore, does Yoga, cycles his way
to work, earns a fraction of what he used to but lives a million times
better.

About the Book

What to Say and When to Shut Up is a useful and interactive book on
persuasive communication for corporates, students, entrepreneurs, and
anybody who is looking to make a lasting impression on the audience.
Through a practical AEIOU Xtra E framework and examples from
inspiring leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, Steve Jobs,
Martin Luther King, J.K. Rowling, among others, this book will help you
become a persuasive communicator.

Rakesh Godhwani’s invaluable advice includes ways to:

§ Motivate audiences to action

§ Nail the interview for your dream job
§ Make impressive business preparations
§ Pitch to investors to raise money
§ Sell a product to a client/
§ Negotiate a win-win
§ Network professionally and socially
§ Resolve conflicts
If you consider communication as an important tool in your success
(both at professional and societal levels) or you plan to polish your
communicating skills more or you wish to become more confident in your
strategies, this book is for you.
 ADITYA JAISWAR, C02
BOOK REVIEW- THE GULF CRISIS

AUTHOR- A.H.H ABIDI

GIST- The book covers the turn of events that occurred during the Gulf
Crisis i.e Iraq-Kuwait War, background as well as the developments that
led to the crisis and various responses from the Regional and
International Community. It showcases the implications of the crisis on
region as well as World in terms of Political, Economic, Geopolitical
means.
OVERVIEW/SUMMARY- In August 1990, Iraq invaded the country of
Kuwait to it’s Southeast in a bid to gain more control over the lucrative
Oil supply of the Middle-East. The book covers the Gulf Crisis and
responses around the World with various stakeholders such as Ira,
Kuwait, The Great Powers- United States of America and U.S.S.R,
Regional Groups like Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and International
Body like United Nations. It highlights the fragile Uneasy Alliance that
transpired after US intervened between the two countries, the response
from the Arab-Islamic World. It discusses the Social Implications of Gulf
Crisis and it’s adverse impact directly and indirectly over the two
countries
· The Socio-Economic implications of Gulf Crisis over people in form
of Refugees who were forced to flee their motherland to save their
lives and the Returnees who had to abandon their adopted home
and the belongings therein.
· Peripheral Boundary between two countries
· Economic impact of the gulf crisis
· Strategic implications for the Gulf Region the ‘Energy Field of the
World (OIL)’
· Implications of Gulf Crisis on South Asia (Indian Context
especially)
The book also touches upon the developments taking place right at the
time of Crisis as well as the episodes that unfolded before and after. US
& UNSC demanded the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein withdrew Iraqi
troops from Kuwait but he refused. After a US led coalition of 34
countries began intensive bombing campaign against strategic Iraqi
locations culminating with a 4-day ground campaign against Iraqi forces
known as Operation Desert Storm. The results were as follows:-
 · Expuslsion of Iraqi military forces from Kuwait
· Restoration of Kuwaiti Independence
· Establishment of Iraqi No-fly Zone
· Sanctions on Iraq by UNSC
· UNSC Resolution 687 establishes ceasefire terms
· UNSC Resolution 689 establishes the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation
Mission to monitor the International border between Iraq and
Kuwait
· Saddam’s Ba’athist government retains power in Iraq
· Establishment of a demilitarized zone and construction of a
separation barrier along the Iraq-Kuwait border
At the end of FEB, Hussein signed a cease fire agreement and released
Kuwait. After the war Iraq was required to submit to inspections to
ensure it possessed no chemical or other weapons of mass destruction.

AKILAN MADHAIYAN, C03

Title: Muslims and India
Author: Asghar Ali Engineer
About the Book:
The book ‘Muslims and India’ aimed at establishing the plight and
hardships faced by Muslims in India. The author made a deep
analysis of the historical events through authentic evidences and had
convincingly brought out his arguments.
Under the chapter Historical Drawback, the author brought out the
historical mistakes of the Islamic rulers and its impacts in post
independent India. He discussed in detail about the anti-Islamic
agendas carried out by Hindutva elements. He made his views on
the book of Ambedkar, ‘Pakistan or Partition of India’ that Ambedkar
was balanced and just in his attitude towards Muslims.
Under the chapter socio-political context, he stressed that Muslims
are to be seen as a part of Indian democracy and they integrated
themselves into Indian culture.
Under the chapter Muslim women, Police and Society he rebuked
the social taboos on Islamic women and quoted Qur’anic
pronouncements supporting women's rights. In this chapter he also
discussed about the breach of power by police against Muslims.
Under the chapter Contemporary politics author, spoke about the
political rights being enjoyed by Muslims and the multiple communal
riots against Muslims that happened especially during the reign of
BJP.
Chapter, Secularism and riots picturized the secular government
established by Congress, post the defeat of NDA and the retaliating
measures taken by Hindutva powers to bring back their agenda.
Under the chapter, Gujarat imbroglio, besides a detailed
discussion about Gujarat massacre 2002, he mentioned about
several other cases related to communalism. The views of
Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the then CM of Gujarat
against Muslims favouring massacre created a confused situation
about the future of Muslims in Gujarat.
The chapter Legal Framework discussed about the various legal
mechanisms available for the protection of Muslim interests and also
the different anti-humane practices prevailing in Islam and the legal
measures to curb them.
The author Asghar Ali Engineer need to be applauded for the
tremendous work that he had done to know and explore more about
the Indian Muslims. Most of his arguments are made with evidences
and few are interpretations like his views on the political history of
medieval India. There is no doubt that the author brought out all the
struggles faced by Muslims and also other minorities but he made
strong accusations on Hindutva power factors which need not be true
always. However, we cannot neglect the fact that the agenda of such
forces is to eliminate minorities and establish Hindutva ideology for
which they will take multiple faces to achieve their agenda. So, to
infer, it is the duty of the authority (government) to protect the
minorities and their interests. The government shall aim at
developing a sense of hope and safety in their minds.
India is a colourful country with celebrates unity in diversity whose
colours are created by its diversity. Every Indian should respect and
cherish the different faces of Indian Culture. India is a mother of
several religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Saivism, Vaishnavism, etc.
Hence, fighting for religion is not its feature rather fight against
communalism which will keep the soul of India nourishing.

AKSHAY GUNDALE, C04

Book Summary : The Terrorist Trap
 A copious account of the modern American experience with
terrorism that substitutes descriptive detail for thoughtful analysis.
Although the book's title implies a comprehensive history of terrorist
activity in America, the text covers the period from 1776 to the 1950s in
less than 30 pages. The narrative properly develops after 1968, which J.
Simon, editor-in-chief of TVI (Terrorism, Violence, Insurgency Report),
pinpoints as ``the beginning of international terrorism as we know it
today.''
He explores three central themes: the growing frequency of
terrorist acts; the presidential role in countering terrorism; and the
potential for terrorists to exploit sophisticated weaponry and technology.
Using interviews with terrorists, hostages and other victims, government
officials, and, most effectively, former presidents, Author conveys the
personal drama inherent in these often tragic events. These episodes,
however, are frequently mired in excessive detail and lacking in critical
analysis. Simon accepts the ``endless nature of terrorism,'' and thus falls
into a pattern of describing individual incidents without considering their
larger causes or their common linkages. For instance, Simon does not
discuss the relation between America's economic, political, and social
ties to Israel and its increasing position as a target of terrorist activity.
Thus the connections among the 197981 Iranian hostage crisis, the
1983 bombings of the US embassy and marine barracks in Lebanon, the
1985 Achille Lauro hijacking, the Persian Gulf War, and the 1993 World
Trade Center bombing (to which he devotes significant space) are never
drawn.
The author considers terrorism's link to the irreversible march of
technology by noting that the challenge for the United States is to deal in
a world where endless political, ethnic, and religious conflicts associated
with terrorism are joined by continued technological advancements in
weaponry and tactics to produce a potentially more dangerous era of
terrorism. References, notes, and photographs
Author deserves credit for broaching such a broad and
overwhelming subject as terrorism—a subject he has obviously studied
at great length. Though he may understand the manifold definitions of
``terrorism,'' however, these distinctions are not clearly identifiable for
the reader. Despite its various limitations, the book proves a worthwhile
read on a thorny and highly sensationalised topic.

AMAN KHAN, C05

Title - The pathology of corruption

Published by - Harper Collins publishers

Year of publication - 1998

Author - S. S. Gill

About the author -

S. S. Gill is a career civil servant, retired as secretary, Ministry of

information and broadcasting in 1985. He received Padma Bhushan in
the same year.
Since his retirement he has been regularly contributing articles to leading
English dailies and magazines. He is the author of The dynasty, a
political biography of Nehru-Gandhi family.
He was appointed as chief executive of Prasar Bharti in November 1997.

Gist -

The book is an inclusive no holds barred account of corruption in India.

The books talks about the tenure of all the Prime ministers of India and
the growth of corruption under them.

Analysis -

Corruption has ravaged civilizations, destroyed Empires and ruined

several regimes. Upstaging communalism, it is being perceived as the
greatest threat to the Indian state. It has therefore become essential to
examine and understand the systematic and other weaknesses in our
polity which have led to the situation. This is what the Pathology of
corruption seeks to do.
The first part of the book explores the cultural, historical and structural
factors which have shaped the Indian approach to bribery. The first four
chapters of the next section deals with the growth of corruption during
the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and PV
Narsimha Rao. Then following four chapters are about corruption in the
bureaucracy, corporate sector, politics and criminalisation of politics. A
chapter on control of corruption and an overview around this.

The author has held nothing back in dealing with corruption in different
spheres of our national life and the treatment is fair, objective and
balanced. This is perhaps the most comprehensive and incisive critique
of corruption in India written so far.

Comments -

Corruption is dishonest behavior by those in positions of power. It starts

with the tendency of using public office for some personal benefit.
Moreover, it is unfortunate that corruption has, for many, become a
matter of habit. It is so deeply entrenched that corruption is now
considered a social norm.

Reasons for the prevalence of corruption-

Over Centralisation: The more remotely power is exercised from the

people, the greater is the distance between authority and accountability.

Weak Enforcement of Law: Various laws have been made to curb the
evil of corruption but their weak enforcement has acted as a hindrance in
curbing corruption.

Greed for Illegitimate Money: Various scams like the telgi stamp scam
took place due to the inexhaustible appetite for illegal illegitimate funds.

Colonial Legacy of Unchallenged Authority: In a society which worships

power, it is easy for public officials to deviate from ethical conduct.

Steps that can be taken to tackle corruption -

Regulation of Work Procedures: Work procedures and processes need

to be regularly reviewed and it needs to be ensured that such
procedures are strictly followed in a systematic manner to make
corruption difficult and thus act as preventive measures.
Regular Investigations: The audit system can be an effective tool to
suggest systemic improvements and changes in the working procedures
of government so that chances of corruption diminish.

Free and Fair media: A free media has a crucial role in prevention,
monitoring and control of corruption.

Identification of Causes: Some of the causes of corruption also need to

be identified so as to work out the solution.

Protection and incentivization of the honest people: The honest need to

be encouraged and incentivized in some way the other to promote a
corruption-free work environment.

In India, some recent anti-corruption initiatives have been taken. For

example, various Supreme Court’s ruling in pursuit of curbing
criminalization of politics, many e-governance initiatives will improve
transparency and accountability. These measures are indeed steps in
the right direction, but bringing behavioural change in society will act as
the most potent weapon against corruption.

AMIT KUMAR, C06

Book Name: Central Asia: Emerging New Order
Publisher and Year: Har-Anand Publications in 1995
Price: 395 Rupees
Author: K. Warikoo (ED)
About Author: - K. Warikoo is a retired professor of Central Asia studies
at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Prof. Warikoo is a well-
known author and thinker who is best recognised for his remarkable
service to studies of the Himalayas, Central Asia, the Eurasian continent,
and the Silk Road.
Review: - In light of Central Asia's growing significance, the book under
review makes an effort to look at and analyse some of the region's key
features. The book is organised into four sections based on themes. The
issues of moving from a socialist social structure to a free-market
economy are covered in the first section. Ethnicity, religion, and
nationalism are the topics covered in the Second section. The difficulties
of moving from a centrally planned economy to a free-market economy
are the main topic of the third segment. The strongest part of the book,
the final section, covers the regional setting of the newly formed Central
Asian states. Making sure of their security is the main preoccupation of
these nations. Central Asia plays a significant role for the main countries
in the new global order that has arisen since the fall of communism and
the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The five newly independent republics
of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
are the centre of the world's attention primarily because of their
geostrategic location. Russia's early disregard for Central Asia gave
validity to the idea that a power vacuum had developed in the area.
Turkey, Iran, and to a lesser extent Pakistan demonstrated a clear
predilection for stepping in to fill this void. Russia and other regional
powers are still working to persuade these nations to support them in the
meanwhile. The fact that Muslims populate the new Central Asian states
is another factor that increases the region's relevance. In Central Asia,
there has been a rebirth of Islam ever since they gained their
independence. This has increased Western concerns that the scope of
religious revival has grown, especially in light of the catastrophic events
that occurred in the former Yugoslavia. The West anticipates that
eventually Islamic fanaticism may take control of Central Asia. Whether
or not these concerns are legitimate is irrelevant. The next world war, if
there is one, will be a conflict of civilizations, according to Samuel
Huntington. Ethnic diversity and the rise of religious forces are two
elements that may have an impact on how they perceive threats to their
security. India's role cannot be minimised in the analysis of its regional
interactions. India has historical ties to the region, and it currently
interacts steadily with the new Central Asian governments, especially
with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This topic might have benefited from
an article. Additionally, a thorough review by the editor that wove the
main themes of every piece to emphasise the broad subject matter the
book addressed would have undoubtedly increased its value. The book
will be a great resource for international relations students. Overall, the
book significantly advances our understanding of the development of
central Asian economies and our assessment of these nations' capacity
to take advantage of the opportunities and difficulties of the twenty-first
century.

ANKITA GAUTAM, C8
Book name: Anticipating India – The Best of National Interest
Author: Shekhar Gupta
About the author: Shekhar Gupta is an Indian journalist and author. He
is the founder and current editor-in-chief of The Print. He was awarded
the Padma Bhushan in 2009.
Summary of the Book: This book gives a sneak peak at the changing
face of Indian politics, and other national issues that took place during
the last two decades. This book interprets everything from the successes
and failings of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh to the ascent
of Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, from the forces
that have deepened Indian federalism and constitutionalism to the public
mood that keeps a check on excesses in the use of political power. This
book is based on themes of politics and political economy. It is not a
work of contemporary history and is not entirely chronological either.
In the book the author clearly mentions that he has no answers for how
things change in Indian politics and why. It is not as if there is no logic to
Indian politics. It is just that it is complex, with many variables, shuffling
loyalties, shifting priorities, alliances, flexible ideologies and unshakable
vested interests.
The author says that a journalist should never ignore politicians when
they are not in power. That is when they have the most time and
patience. Also, there are no permanent pygmies or titans in our politics.
The author suggests to keep one’s distance, in politics even more that in
armed conflict, because love and hate cloud judgement.
The book describes about the modern India politics by putting across
various questions to the politicians. Looking forward to the progress and
development of India, covering every crucial and central aspect the
author answers the questions like When did the Congress first start
shrinking its prime minister? When did it become clear that Narendra
Modi would take over his party? And what does an angry Arvind Kejriwal
say about us?
Each and every chapter in Anticipating India, is in the format of
questioning power, its use and abuse, carries within it ideas of India
challenging conventional wisdom, destroy stereotypes and, in the end,
question our long-held postulations and statements of who we are as a
nation and its pupil.
 ARZOO, C09

Title: After the bear hug

Author: Colonel M.S. Jarg
In this book " After the bear hug", the author exposed the tenuous
foundation on which our nationalism and secular character rests today,
leading us to hysterical communal tension. He describes our politics as
opportunistic, selfish, reckless and erroneous.
Taking a dim view of our national character, growing indiscipline and
lack of respect for duty, the author pleads for urgent measures to
improve the quality and vision of our most precious human resource as
vital step towards self reliance and for preventing the evil influence of
increasingly emerging scs , growing communal strife and regional
intrigues from spreading further.
He has exhaustively discussed treacherous strategies like
scandalously obtained and secretly manufactured nuclear weapons by
some irresponsible countries of the world, particularly our immediate
neighbour, across the border.
The prevailing atmosphere in the South Asia, the implications of
the post cold war world order and the persisting anomalies with
remedies to explosive issues have been discussed in detail in this book.
Due stress has been laid on the development of South Asia through the
spirit of mutuality and cooperation.
Colonel Jarg has given an interesting account of the post cold war
world scenario. He refers to the stoic silence and glum demeanour of the
U.S, the European Union nations and the other pluralistic secular
democracies. He has focused on the lopsided perception of the Clinton
administration's South Asian policy in hesitating to declare Pakistan as
the state guilty of sponsoring terrorism to promote communal hatred and
create tension in other countries with destabilization as the motive.

Colonel M.S Jarg is the third out of the only five Indian Army officers to
have been awarded the MacGregor Medal for the successful completion
of an important military task at great personal risk. He devotes some of
his time to writing and already has three books to his credit.
In this book he discussed and opened up the unknown facts and
incidents of the famous events like the post cold war era, anomalies of
India's post independence foreign policy, why nations disintegrate,
impact of Soviet disintegration on the international political environment,
The euphoria of solidarity of the North and it's impact upon the South,
India's security perception, emerging changes in the US - Pak scenario
with a cause, changing military strategies, India's role in the future of
SAARC and China's role in Asia.
Understanding these important phases of world is vital to know the
geopolitics of the world.

ASHTALAKSHMI KIRUTHIKAYINI, C10

BOOK REVIEW
TITLE OF THE BOOK : AFGHAN TURMOIL –CHANGING
EQUATIONS.
AUTHORED BY : SREEDHAR AND MAHENDRA VED.
PUBLISHED BY : HIMALAYAN BOOKS,NEW DELHI.
GIST : The book tries to explore Afghan civil war that took place in May
1997.The author is of the opinion that no single faction is in a position to
gain complete control of the entire territory of Afghanistan through
military means .The book has also made attempts to suggest new peace
prospects for the eclipse of the Taliban.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR : Mahendra Ved is a New Delhi based writer and
columnist .He writes a column for New Strait Times in Kualalampur ,is
the senior editor of the Power Politics.
Sreedhar is a leading newspaper columunist .
ANALYSIS :The book is dedicated to the abiding India-Afganistan
friendship .The author has also talked about how the Taliban as a
political force was cobbled together by Pakistan .The turning point in the
civil war in Afghanistan came in Mazar-e-shariff .The role of Northern
Alliance was also elaborated in one of the chapters . It serves as an
effective resistance to the Taliban . The author aims to establish how
ground realities in Afghanistan are often over- looked through
Pakistani’s miscalculations.
Additionally,the one big plus point with the Taliban was that they were on
single and coherent entity and well disciplined . But on the minus
side ,the Taliban proved to be too rigid ,intolerant and with pronounced
ethical leanings.
The international angle with respect to Iran and Central Asia regarding
Pipeline politics which is central to the countries including India .The
author explores the India’s options towards Afghanistan with respect to
Kashmir angle .The production of Opium has gone up manifold in
Afghanistan after Taliban takeover .So, these pose to a threat to India’s
security.
COMMENT : The book was an interesting read to know about the
history/background of Afghan’s problems and its solutions .The author
makes the reading immersive through representation of maps and
images . The book contains authentic data points based on which the
intellectual circles can decide the future course of action.
 BHARAT SHASTRI, C11
Understanding Global Politics, Issues and Trends.

Published by/ year : Lancers books, 2004.

Editors : Anindyo J Majumdar & Shibashis Chatterjee.

Global politics has undergone a wide array of changes over the years
and accordingly International Relation too has adapted itself. Keeping in
mind those changes this book covers chapters on themes like security,
area wise trends, globalisation, regionalism, regional response to
terrorism, environmental governance, gender etc. Contemporary
International Relations have been highlighted comprehensively.

The major feature of world politics is increasingly noticeable negative

impacts of economic globalisation, security issues and imbalanced
development. Since the end of cold war, economic globalisation has
been accelerating. The economic cooperation among countries reduce
danger of war and increase cost of political conflicts, food shortage,
energy shortage, pollution, climate change, illegal immigration,
transnational crimes and terrorism have become the central agenda of
world politics.

The international political framework and the balance of forces between

great powers have been profoundly shifted. Immediately after the cold
war, the status of US as the only superpower was consolidated.
European integration accelerated and Japan was economic forerunner in
Asia. The developed countries controlled the formulation and execution
of International regimes.

Lessons learned from costly wars as well as increasing interdependency

of economy among states led to birth of international laws, rules of
International relations and gradually established international
organizations, regimes mail formulated after world war 2 are lagging far
behind. For example UN reform is strong but little action is seen.
Cooperation regime for energy and global climate change is far from
being established. No consensus is reached globally on how to treat
national separatism, all kinds of NGOs and MNCs are playing important
role in international affairs but their actions haven't been regulated
properly.

To briefly sum up, the deficit of global governance is growing bigger and
bigger. The current International regimes are more and more unable to
deal with the emerging global issues and urgently need to be renovated.
Otherwise political, ethical and religious conflicts in certain areas will run
out of control the cooperation between great powers cannot be
deepened and continued and the harmony between human and nature
will be seriously damaged.

BITRA RAGHUVEER, C12

Book Review - ‘War and Anti-War’

Authors: Alvin and Heidi Toffler

Gist: The book alarmingly presents the horrifying realities of future war
describing the criteria for war and how the war strategy has evolved over
the centuries. Through the presentation of this rational evolution, authors
scientifically project the trajectory of future war. However, they also
present curiously optimistic and exciting strategies for future peace.
Because it is with the knowledge of war, peace is attainable. Anti-war
strategy is incomprehensive unless it takes into account the in and out of
war.

Analysis: The book is written in six parts, each talking about various
dimensions of war and peace. The first part, ‘Conflict’, introduces the
readers to the genesis of war, detailing how the world has evolved with
wars. The next, ‘Trajectory’, draws a picture of how the war itself has
been evolving with time and also the interrelation between changes in
the way of making money and the developments of war tactics.
‘Exploration’ talks about various types of wars that did and could happen
both in and out of the battlefield. ‘Knowledge’ is all about the brains that
work behind the military might. It beautifully convinces the readers in
such a convincing manner that brains play a more active role than
swords in wars. ‘Danger’ brings forward the real problems that the world
might and will have to face at the advent of ultra modernity. The last part
‘Peace’ enlists the forms of peace in the future and also predicts the
global form of the 21st century.

The book opens with one of the authors’ meeting with one of the top
military officials in the USA who is into devising war strategies keeping in
mind the future courses of war techniques. The author takes inspiration
from the officer that he could work for the security of the nation of
tomorrow and not just today. Eventually, the author realises that though
scholars opined that the shape of tomorrow would essentially be
determined by economic, not military warfare; economic wars just acted
as prelude to military warfare.

He enlists the causes of war like irrationality, miscalculation, xenophobia,

fanaticism, religious extremism and plain bad luck, all the while every
economic indicator suggested that peace would be the preferable option
for all.

He also bluntly disagrees with the geo-economic reasoning given to war

for two main reasons being it is too simple and the other it is too
obsolete. In saying so, the author could comprehend the growing role of
knowledge in the geo-information era that surpassed the geo-economic
era.

In the coming chapters, the authors were successful in articulating the

role of massification and de-massification of economy in the replication
of similar patterns in warfare. The key parameters of warfare according
to the authors were range, lethality and speed. The entire argument and
the study about warfare stuck around these basics, while the authors
were trying to explain the three waves of war in the coming four to five
chapters.

According to authors, the first wave war is of the period in which the
economy is majorly dependent on land. The second wave is of the
period of mass production in the economy accompanied by mass
destruction in warfare. This period explains how standardisation of
weapons, military training, organisation and doctrines has taken place.
The authors defined this as the period of ‘industrialising death’.

In the coming chapters, various philosophies of war were discussed like

that of Karl Von Clausewitz, the father of modern strategy, who opined
that war was an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds. This
argument was countered by the authors with the help of Ludendorff who
argued that for war to be total, the political order itself had to be
subordinated by the military. On the other hand, Nazi theorists denied
the reality of peace saying peace was merely a period of war preparation
- ‘the war between wars’.

The conclusions drawn from the examples of the Israel - Syria war and
the wars that the US led in Central Asia added to the war studies.

The lessons learnt from those conclusions helped the authors to define
the tactics of anti-war and peace in the last part of the book. It opens up
interesting ideas towards peace and proposes rational doctrines not for
individual countries but for the larger global system to stay intact.

Comments: The book enlightens the blind spots in understanding what

goes behind and beyond the battlefield in bringing the situations thus far
as humanity ends up killing each other. The comprehensive study made
by the authors and the subtle articulations made in the efforts to bring
the arguments towards peace made the narration all the more engaging.
The book helps not just military strategists, but also the policymakers,
politicians, bureaucrats, intelligence agencies and the scholars to
understand what happened yesterday and what is to come tomorrow.
For such knowledge is necessary to make oneself ready to embrace
what is up for humanity to unravel. The authors were ultimately
successful in sustaining hope in peace and realising that the picture is
not all gloomy. The argument was accompanied by rational justification
that the technology which made things worse could also make things
better than ever.

DIBYAJYOTI SEN, C14

BOOK - GUERRILLA WARFARE
AUTHOR- Che Guevara
The author showed homage to Camilo Cienfuegos, a revolutionary
friend and comrade. According to the author, his beloved friend was an
unselfish, dedicated, audacious and genius fighter who sacrificed hislife
to mold the Cuban revolution. He wanted to commemorate his friend's
unparalleled compromise for the sake of the nation.

In the first chapter, the author described the general principles of

guerrilla fighting. Its essence, strategy and tactics in fighting style in
different areas were discussed in detail.
 In the second chapter, the author presented the construction process
behind the Guerrilla band. The author also stated that an individual
Guerrilla must display impeccable moral conduct and strict self control.
He provides ideology for social reform by his ideals, notions and
experiences. He must be optimistic and adaptable, imaginable and
inventive in unfavorable conditions.

In the third chapter, the author nicely delineated the organization of the
movement, the supply, civil administration, the role of women, sabotage,
medical care industry, propaganda, intelligence, training and overall
leadership were thoroughly discussed. He pointed out the organisation
of the initial clandestine Guerilla band defending that which has been
won and an epilogue about the analysis of the Cuban situation is
presence and its future.

The book is a representation of the huge experience of the author Che

Guevara. He described very lucidly the beginning, development and the
end of guerrilla war and repeatedly emphasized that the armed band
takes refuge in the remote, hard to reach spot first. Then they follow a hit
and run attack. It grows with the support of the local farmers, women and
the youth. The centre of concentration is around Cuba and how a group
of small people turned authority with sheer grit and tenaciousness. He
also believed that the Cuban revolution could be duplicated in other
countries. This book again and again pointed out that courage, bravery
and will are essential for triumph and vanquishing authority through
Guerrilla Warfare.

DIVYANSHA PANDEY, C15

BOOK: HOW GOOGLE CHANGED THE WORLD? By Virginia Scott

Google has changed the business of newspapers forever and

virtually single-handedly run most publishers of maps out of
business. It transformed advertising, using and perfecting A/B testing to
understanding our tastes and what makes a person click on an
ad.Google indexed the internet extraordinarily well without human
intervention, unlike previously curated outlets such as Yahoo! or
LexisNexis, and in such a way that the user did not have to know how to
use the index or Boolean search methods. Google enabled free
searches of words or terms, making all manner of information instantly
retrievable even if you did not know where it was housed. With Google,
you could find any needle in any haystack at any time. Unlocking that
data has indeed been a great equalizer: any individual can arm him or
herself with relevant information before seeing a doctor or applying
for government assistance, housing or a job.The impact of Google on
the American economy underscores how the Internet can boost the
American economy. Google's latest Economic Impact report finds the
company contributing $165 billion of economic activity for 1.4
million businesses and non-profits in 2015, up from $131 billion in
2014.The negative factors of using Google are diminishing our critical
thinking skills, and injuring our emotions. Since information is already
accumulated, people are less likely to think on their feet and rely on
these pieces of information. Even though Google allows the
enhancement of education, it only focuses on one type of education,
which falls under practical thinking. This type of education is what John
Henry Newman, writer of Knowledge its Own End, considers “useful
knowledge” which is different from “liberal knowledge” which involves
critical thinking. Critical thinking is useful in terms of decision making
because it allows the essence of human intelligence. Whereas, Google
focuses primarily on artificial intelligence which devalues human intellect.
Consequently, this not only devalues human intellect but causes the
“death of empathy”.ss
 SMEETH GARGE, C16

Book Review - Mao Zedong: A Biography

The book is written by Jonathan Clements who is a British author.

He has specialised in studies relating to east Asia. Book was written in
2011.
The life of Mao Zedong who became the ruler of the world's most
populous nation is one of the most remarkable stories of the 20th
century. He went from being a poor farmer's son to a revolutionary and
then the chairman of the Chinese communist party. He was instrumental
in bringing communist revolution to China which was centered around
peasants by forming the peasant's militia during the two decade long
civil war. This revolution and the establishment of the People's Republic
of China in 1949 earned him the title of 'The Great Leader'.
From a young age, Mao acted as a rebel. Later, communists
painted this as a youth disobedience. Mao often played up his peasant
origins but he was relatively well off and received education as well
which was pretty rare for a peasant's son at that point in China. He came
across Marxist literature while working at a library in Peking. Several
government clampdowns convinced him that military aid is required
along with protests. During the civil war in 1927, he famously or
infamously said that 'We must know that political power is obtained out
of the barrel of a gun.'
He became the prominent leader when by defying the orders of his
seniors in CCP he launched the Long March of 1934. After becoming
chairman of PRC, he launched The Great Leap during the second five
year plan and cultural revolution in the sixties which had catastrophic
repercussions on millions. Despite this, Mao remained untouched by the
turmoil due to the formidable cult around him. Though glorified and
demonised, Mao remains one of the most important figures in modern
history with the influence of Maoism continuing till date.
Author shows how the incidents of childhood shaped Mao which
influenced his decisions even after becoming the chairman. Author
remains largely unbiased and gives chronological links with fact oriented
information which helps to understand the events. The book is meant for
those who want to know about the life of Mao but for students of history,
who want to get in depth knowledge, book will not suffice.
SANKET GHAYAWAT, C17
Book: LEGACY OF A DIVIDED NATION: INDIA’S MUSLIM SINCE
INDEPENDACE
Author: Mushirul Hasan
About the author
Mushirul Hasan, after completing his Ph. D. from University of
Cambridge he served as a professor, Director of academy of third world
stories, D. G. of National Archives of India. The author has published
many books from different era, mainly, ‘MAKING SENSE OF HISTORY:
SOCIETY, CULTURE AND POLITICS’, ‘NATIONALISM AND
COMMUNAL POLITICS OF INDIA: 1985-1930’, ‘WIT AND HUMOUR
OF NORTH INDIA’ etc. One can easily depicts author’s inclination
towards Muslim community from his writings.
Gist:
The book is historian’s journey into India’s agonising past and
postcolonial predicament, that stimulates discussion on the country’s
partition. The author finds that data about Muslim community was
inadequate. So the compilation of his lectures in various universities
across India and world and few more theories and facts with generalized
data.
Analysis
In the introductory chapter the author discussed the status of Muslim
community in respect of ideological foundations and its effect on
community majorly causing its backwardness. Also, the facts that how
prejudice made travellers think Islam to be static pragmatic. The study of
India’s second largest minority’s effect on ethnic and regional problems
that caused many acts against community. The author also feels that
concept of secularism and democratic trends elevated importance of
Muslims only upto electoral politics. Pseudo secularism have given rise
to many organizations with conflicting views. The study that started from
1947 to Ayodhya issue, left deep scars on country’s communal integrity.
Comments:
The book is presented with good analysis of data and facts along with
personal views of author. Book sometimes seem to be biased towards
Muslim community irrespective of their actual impact and implications.
We can easily project that use of community by political groups for their
personal growth and benefits were always fulfilled.

Himanshu Raj (C18)

Book review - ‘India and Pakistan - A Political Analysis’

Author: Hugh Tinker

Gist: The author in the book tries to analyse the similarities and contrasts
in the making of the two neighbouring countries from where he
elaborated the evolution of the two. All the spheres of administration,
politics and democracy were comprehensively presented to draw an
articulate picture in the minds of readers about the length and breadth of
the countries so that the reasons for conflict and warfare could well be
understood. The book ends noting that the future of the relations
between the two nations is indefinite as the developments never gave
hope for stability.
Analysis: Pakistan and India are the two immediate neighbours having
common history and culture. In this way, they should have the warmest
ties. But their relationships have remained hostile all the time. Kashmir is
the bone of contention between the two nations, over which three main
wars have been fought between them. Despite some important and
effective peace initiatives, the main problems in maintaining the bitter
taste in bilateral relations remain unresolved.
The book throws light on the political developments in both nations
before and after the independence to let us appreciate the role played by
the politics in driving both the nations to the path which they are on
today. Socio-economic constraints have been kept in mind while
analysing the political structures in both the countries. Though the author
chose not to suggest any logical solution either for the Kashmir
conundrum or the water issues between the states, the reason for it
could well be understood in the articulations he has put forward in the
analysis. However, the author was clear enough about the coming
course of both the countries in the last chapter saying that the future is
indefinite. The author was humble to understand and make the readers
appreciate the complexities and intricacies that both the countries are
entangled in.

JAYALESH JAYAN, C19

BOOK REVIEW–
BRASSEY’S BOOK OF ESPIONAGE
AUTHOR-JOHN LAFFIN
AUTHOR: JOHN LAFFIN’S vast knowledge and understanding of
military and international affairs is founded on a distinguished career as
author, journalist and lecturer, and a lifetime of first-hand experience
both as a soldier on the battlefield and as a correspondent on the
sidelines. He is the author of the world in conflict war annuals.
GIST: In brassey's book of espionage John Shows how espionage, the
craft or trade of spying together with counter espionage is amazing in its
variety and enterprise. Spies are as busy now as they were during the
Cold War more money is spent on espionage than any activity other than
the arms trade with which it is closely connected. For the millions of
people who will never meet a spy and they would not recognize one
even if they did the adventure of enthusiastic amateurs end of cold-
blooded professionals make absorbing reading.
OVERVIEW/SUMMARY- While spying is an ancient profession or craft
intelligence agencies are new in Britain the first search isn’t she was
instituted in 1909 it was probably the first in the world, in the sense that it
was actually a government department of just one room and financed by
government as soon as other European countries heard of ‘room 40’
they wanted an intelligence agency of their own Germany and Austria
created one in 1913 and Russia in 1917.
It would be difficult for an outsider to follow a conversation between
spice whether it is oral or in writing, especially if they are using double
talks. Intelligence organization exist by the thousand, many of them
under innocuous cover names. ’Institutes’ of various kinds create the
Americans once had ‘Research Institute for indigenous peoples’. It was a
branch of the CIA responsible for espionage in Central America.
Alan Dulles for eight years director of the CIA, was aware that the public
was so consumed by their interest in espionage that paranoia was
causing immense problem for his agencies and others.
The foundation of Israelis intelligence system information from research I
carried out in Israel in the 1950s and 60s. Eli Cohen for the full story of
Eli Cohen see alone in Damascus.
The KGB and its use of women according to oleggordievsky and
Christopher Andrew, KGB chief were ‘implacably opposed’ to the
operational use of women other than a sexual bait, or possibly to recruit
other women as agents.
Public information on the various American intelligence operations refer
to ‘military spies out of uniform: soldier spies’ time magazine.
These tricks through skills might be more appropriate - come from a
variety of sources including spice in the field. They would not wish to be
mentioned by the name.
Probably the best advice comes from miles Copeland in his book The
real spy world and the game of nations. Copeland knew espionage from
the bottom up, not merely from talking to people in the game-though he
did a lot of that too.
Nearly Writers on espionage ask the question ‘is it really all worthwhile?’
It is directed as much to themselves as to others and their consensus is
that spying is necessary. Equally, there is consensus among them that
what they know of western spying and western defense against spies is
alarming. There are too many ‘black holes’, too many potential traitors.
One of the biggest of black holes, as I indicated in chapter1 is China, the
great challenge to come. Nothing that I know leads me to suppose that
we are doing enough to meet it.
COMMENTS: This book give the deep insight about the basics of
espionage and then take us to various operations which are conducted
by various agencies. It also connect the importance of espionage in the
fate of nations development their economy as well as the security hangs
in balance. Also covered the technicalities of spying ,including electronic
intelligence, satellite intelligence and the many ‘tricks of trade’.

KANTA MARU, C20

Book Review | Open Secrets: The Explosive Memoirs of an Indian
Intelligence Officer
Author : Maloy Krishna Dhar
Publisher : Manas Publications Mainak Dhar (01 June 2012)

“A king shall have his agents in the courts of the enemy, the ally, the
middle and the neutral kings to spy on the kings as well as eighteen
types of high officials”

– Kautilya’s Arthashastra

The national security of any country largely depends upon the

intelligentsia working diligently under it. Today, as we see, India has
various Intelligence agencies such as Intelligence Bureau, Research and
Analysis Wing, Directorate of Military Intelligence etc. working to
strengthen the core of India’s security channels.
The memoirs of an Intelligence Officer presented by the author, Maloy
Krishna Dhar takes us through the unprecedented journey across his
thirty -year long career which has detailed insights into Intelligence
Bureau’s functioning and a piercing gaze into the political machinations
underlying them.
The book with its story-like format is credited to the author’s past
experience of writing lucidly, to his earlier days as a journalist. The
delivery has a gripping hold on its readers who can connect the dots of
the past incidences and yet gain a lot of current oversight from it.
In 32 chapters, the author reflects upon arduous tasks to handle the
tactics of revolting Gorkhas, while exploring his love for the Himalayas
and scaling the heights of Kanchenjunga. As he talks about the
Naxalbari area, he reflects upon his posting as an IPS probationer to
Siliguri subdivision and Naxalbari Police station in Darjeeling in 1965.
This book is Pandora’s box, justifying the title, “Open Secrets” making
the most extreme revelations. Against the legacy that says, “Certain
truths are better protected when buried under permafrost”, this book
does exactly the opposite. It dwells upon those dark secrets and even
reveals those murkier ones that attract the hatred and scrutiny of
Political Mafias. These tales of skullduggery of the IB working as a
handmaiden to successive political regimes; of counterintelligence
operations ending into fiascos and controversial revelations of
operations are all written quite professionally.
This book is highly recommended for the select audience who shall like
to savor the “Operational and Tactical” encounters of Intelligentsia, the
nitty gritty of political melodrama staged in the backdrop of historical
events.
 KISLAY BHARTI, C21

BOOK REVIEW

TITLE
" The Islamist Threat , Myth or Reality"

ABOUT OF AUTHOR
John Louis Esposito (born May 19, 1940) is an Italian-American
academic, professor of Middle Eastern and religious studies, and scholar
of Islamic studies,who serves as Professor of Religion, International
Affairs, and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University in Washington,
D.C. He is also the founding director of the Prince Alwaleed Center for
Muslim–Christian Understanding at Georgetown.

ANALYSIS
Are Islam and the West on a collision course? From the Ayatollah
Khomeini to Saddam Hussein, the image of Islam as a militant,
expansionist, and rabidly anti-American religion has gripped the minds of
Western governments and media. But these perceptions, John L.
Esposito writes, stem from a long history of mutual distrust, criticism, and
condemnation, and are far too simplistic to help us understand one of
the most important political issues of our time. In this new edition of The
Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, Esposito places the challenge of Islam
in critical perspective. Exploring the vitality of this religion as a global
force and the history of its relations with the West, Esposito
demonstrates the diversity of the Islamic resurgence and the mistakes
our analysts make in assuming a hostile, monolithic Islam.

This third edition has been expanded to include new material on current
affairs in Turkey, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Southeast Asia, as well as
a discussion of International terrorism.
The author lets us to rethink either true or not that Islam and the west is
a clash of civilisation. By historical explanation between Iran and the
west, he deeply tried to revise back what was happened to Iran that
leads to the clash of civilisation. From his point of view, Saddam is
subjected to this clash. Clash of civilisations were raised by Saddam in
the name of Islam. They were rejected with equal force by other
Muslim countries and religious leaders such as the official ulama of
Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The author compares Islam to the west
and explains the western viewpoint on Islam. Even though Islam and
Christianity share the same roots, the two have always been in a state of
struggle against each other. The author also explains that the Muslims
settled in the west are constantly being “othered” unlike other
minorities present in the same region. The reason explained is that
the Muslims are considered to be a threat for the west. The author
quotes several examples that prove this as incorrect. Islamic
fundamentalism identified as threat and has reinforced a tendency to
equate violence with Islam. This belief has been informed by the impact
of the Iranian Revolution. The nineties have challenged this
assumption. There have been no any radical groups. Now they called
as Islamic revivalism. At the end, the author concludes that Islamic
threat is a reality and comprehensive action should be taken by both
Islam and west parties to make the world peace and avoid terrorism
or extremism in religion practise. However, this statement is not true
since the author is American, he possibly not truly understand deeply
Islamic religion from the whole perspectives. Islam is not a threat to
everybody. Islam has proved that Islamic principles and knowledge
is able to attract more positive impacts to the society and a country in
the context of economy.

MANISH KUMAR THANESHWAR, C23

Title- Russia after Stalin
Publisher- Jonathan Cape Paperback
Year of publication- 1969
Author- Isaac Deutscher
Introduction by Marcel Liebman
About the author-
Isaac Deutscher (Polish: Izaak Deutscher; 3 April 1907 – 19 August
1967) was a Polish Marxist writer, journalist and political activist who
moved to the United Kingdom before the outbreak of World War II. He is
best known as a biographer of Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin and as a
commentator on Soviet affairs. His three-volume biography of Trotsky
was highly influential among the British New Left in the 1960s and
1970s.
Marcel Liebman (7 July 1929 – 1 March 1986) was a Belgian Marxist
historian of political sociology and theory, active at the Université libre de
Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
A historian of socialism and of communism, he published a number of
well known essays, notably on the Russian Revolution, Leninism, and
the history of the labour movement in Belgium. He was also an early
initiator of Israeli–Palestinian dialogue.
Gist- The book is about Russian dictator Stalin, his ideas, Russia under
Stalin amd the regime after the death of Stalin.
Analysis- This book is based on the Russian dictator Stalin and his
ideology. His thoughts and the changes he made in leninisim is depicted
in this book.
In the part two of this book, after the death of Stalin the power struggle
to control Russia is discussed. The emergence of Khuruschev, his
reforms, Malenkov's reign and his reforms like liberalisation policies are
discussed.
Although Malenkov strived to follow Stalin's policy but in reality he made
some reforms in it. The role of Berua and Molotov is also discussed in
this regard.
Malenkov's foreign policy was just, tactful and fair as compared to Stalin.
The problems in Stalin's foreign policy is described and the reforms
made by Prime Minister Malenkov is appreciated. He also faced
problems in domestic policies and had to fight the die hards of the
security police.
From dictatorship to Stalin to democracy leading steps by Malenkov the
book describes this transition of Russia in a comprehensive manner.
Comments-
● Stalin worked on the philosophy of Lenin and Marx and continued
communist rule in Russia.
● Under his rule freedom of citizens was limited and the rule of
dictatorship was there.
● He died on March, 1953 and after his death Khuruschev and then
Malenkov did reforms in Russian politics.
● They made many reforms in military,industry and agriculture
sectors like privatisation which helped Russia to grow faster but
were involved in power struggle between themselves.
● There was a transition from communism under Stalin to liberal
ideas under Malenkov era which led to the crucial shift in Russian
politics and civil liberties.
 MAYUR, C24
Title: India’s internal security The actual concerns.
Author: Dr N C Asthana IPS (Retd) and Dr Anjali Nirmal
Publisher: Pointer Publishers
Gist: Internal security is a frequently talked about and yet poorly
understood thing. Everyone talks about it but no one knows for sure as
to what is actually meant by internal security. This book tires to give a
clear understanding of internal security, it’s dimensions and the exact
concerns faced while mitigating them.
We have been investing huge human resource and funds to
maintain the internal security. We have more security forces deployed in
interior as against the borders. We even have army units deployed
inside the borders and laws like AFPSA. One fourth of our defense
budget is spent on internal security. Yet internal security is a cancer
which still persists with no clear understanding of the issue in the public.
The book alleges this ignorance to the strong nexus of media, police and
political parties which are by nature stereotypical and the ignoramus
media pampers to this.
 It also points out that the threat to internal security is often
distorted because there are many vested interests involved.
Organizations have their departmental interests-more funds, more
powers, and staying relevant. Companies have a vested interest in
selling overpriced gadgets to the police forces in the name of
modernization and internal security. However, the socio-political causes
are ignored. It alleges that imaginary threats are being pursued whereas
some real threats remain unaddressed.
It analyses the root cause of Kashmir militancy, the rise of Islamic
terrorism in world and in India, a critical analysis of Anti-Naxal
operations, the insurgency in North – East, Hindutva terrorism and the
legal issues faced by security agencies.
This book presents a comprehensive study of what exactly should
be understood by internal security both in terms of political theory as well
as a legal perspective; what are the actual concerns of internal security;
how the measures to maintain internal security must be addressed in a
legally valid framework; and what are the legal issues involved in
counterinsurgency operations. The purpose of this book is to enlighten
the reader about the actual concerns of internal security and suggest
ways to mitigate it.
 NEERAJ, C25
Name of the book :- INDIAN DEFENCE , CRISIS AND CHALLENGES.

Authors:-DR. N.C ASTHANA, IPS. and DR. ANJALI NIRMAL.

GIST(About the book):- Defence, in popular perception has become

synonymous with military hardware. Show them the big guns and they
are happy. One of the major attractions of the Republic day parades is
the display of weapon systems. Never mind that the people cannot
distinguish a tank from a self-propelled howitzer and a fighter from a
bomber. The casualty for the nation, however, is that this ignorance
distorts their perception of defence. The business of acquisition of
imported military hardware, for one, has become a vicious circle- the
nation keeps on spending on everything the military men ask for
because nobody has the wisdom or knowledge to question their demand
of more and more imported weapon system. The moment they wrap
something in the holy cloak of national security, it is supposed to
become unquestionable.

This book presents a comprehensive exposition of all

that an 'aware' citizen needs to know about Indian Defence in one cover.
This book exposes some fatal weaknesses in the preparedness of Indian
nation and in the character of Indian people for winning a war.