External Affairs : Cross-Border Relations/S.K. Singh, J.N. Dixit, K.V. Rajan, C.V. Ranganathan. New Delhi, Roli Books, 2003, vi, 233 p., $22. ISBN 81-7436-264-9.

    Contents: Introduction. 1. Pakistan/S.K. Singh. 2. Sri Lanka/J.N. Dixit. 3. Nepal/K.V. Rajan. 4. China/C.V. Ranganathan. 5. Afghanistan/M.H. Ansari. 6. Bangladesh/Deb Mukharji. 7. Bhutan/Salman Haidar.

    "South Asia is an area of tension and conflict due to the current situation in Afghanistan, the hostility between India and Pakistan, the tensions between Bhutan and Nepal and the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, which has ramifications for India. Moreover, with India and Pakistan becoming de facto nuclear weapons states, tensions have mounted and the focus has shifted to the importance of strategic environment in the South Asian region. The asymmetry between India and its South Asian neighbours, in terms of demography, natural resources, levels of economic development, technological capacities and military strength has affected India’s relations with most of its neighbours. The nuclear weaponisation of India and Pakistan has also profoundly affected the security environment in the region. An analysis of the relations between India and her neighbours, both in the bilateral framework and in terms of collective regional interaction, is therefore pertinent and timely.

    External Affairs, authored by well-known diplomats posted in the neighbouring countries analyses India’s cross-border relations." (jacket)