Contents: Preface. 1. The nightmare. 2. War of attrition. 3. Unending aftermath. 4. Commonwealth connection and other crosses. 5. Neighbours, friendly and not so friendly. 6. Anatomy of Sino-Indian relations. 7. Anatomy of Indo-U.S. relations. 8. Anatomy of Indo-Soviet relations. 9. International relations. 10. To Bandung and after. 11. Postscript: decline. Appendix. Index.

"Volume II traces India's post-partition agonies and shows how the foundations of our foreign policy, meticulously built by Jawaharlal Nehru were shaken. A most remarkable statesman of our times, Nehru was keen that in foreign affairs India and Pakistan should desist from harping on points of cleavage. The Kashmir issue and the decision to take it to the UNO are analysed in depth. The book vividly describes the threat posed by the Princely States to the political fabric of India and how Sardar Patel, through a policy of carrot-and-stick, secured accession of the states to India. In the international arena the country went through hard times made more difficult by the winds of the Cold War. The major issues ar stake were India's continued membership of the UNO; the treatment of Indian settlers by Pretoria; the difficulties with Portugal over Goa's future; and the problems with France over Pondicherry.

"As the story of Indian foreign policy unfolds, Nehru's unwillingness to align with countries jockeying for positions of advantage around the globe and judging each issue on merit assumes significance. At the same time, he strove to cultivate amiable relations with his immediate neighbours however small they were.

"With the appearance of strains in Sino-Indian relations, Nehru's handling of India's foreign policy began to be questioned. India's relations with the USA and the erstwhile USSR and their reaction to the India-China conflict form the latter part of this volume. Based on hitherto unused Jawaharlal Nehru papers, the author addresses issues that have dodged students of Indian foreign policy and world diplomacy. Meticulously researched and well documented, it is written in the author's unmistakably eloquent and lucid style." (jacket)

[Iqbal Singh's books include Gautama Budha: A Biography; Changing India; and Indian National Congress: A Reconstruction.] 

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