‘…a treasure house of views and opinions on all relevant matters that concern our national security needs.’—Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh

‘I recommend this strongly for those who wish to understand a major and vital strand of thinking that will influence Indian policies for years to come.’—Stephen Cohen.

Experience over sixty-six years of independence reveals that India has failed when confronted with challenges to national security, external or internal. The challenges have been comprehensive, but the response consistently amateurish.
Why, asks Jaswant Singh. Is it on account of conceptual fault lines or fractures in governance? Both, says Jaswant Singh, ably laying bare the challenges, responses and the consequences of failing to reach the goal of credible defence and security in independent India.

Having directly handled the responsibility of managing a whole series of security-related challenges, Jaswant Singh provides a uniquely informed and illuminating analysis of the major challenges that India has faced over the last sixty-six years: the conflicts, the issues, and the consequences that remain with us today. How does it look in the first quarter of the 21st century?