Pax Indica: India and the World of the Twenty-First Century  (English, Hardcover, Shashi Tharoor)

Pax Indica: India And The World In The 21st Century examines India’s record in international relations and proposes what needs to be done to formulate a constructive foreign policy for the 21st century.

Summary Of The Book

Written by a man who has been a prominent figure in the international political arena for years, this book examines India’s record in diplomatic relations, the functioning of its foreign service, and the future trends and directions.

Pax Indica: India And The World In The 21st Century looks at India’s relationship with its neighbours and with the larger world outside its immediate neighbourhood thoroughly. The book is divided into eleven chapters and begins with a chapter on Pakistan and India’s troubled relationship with this volatile neighbour. It also discusses the country’s relationship with another emerging Asian power, China.

The book also examines Afghanistan and its potential to emerge as a trade hub connecting South and Central Asia. It slowly moves outward from the subcontinent to other counties and India’s need to formulate a constructive foreign policy that would enable it to open up channels for economic growth.

Pax Indica: India And The World In The 21st Century also critically examines the Indian Foreign Service, the lack of planning and structure in the diplomatic corps and the many problems that still persist despite India’s progress in other arenas. The book argues for a reexamination of the IFS, and discusses the problem of understaffing of the Indian Diplomatic Corps.

The author explains the need for India to now move away from non-alignment to a new paradigm of multi-alignment for constructive international relations in these changing times. He stresses the importance of formulating foreign policy strategies that also take into account long term goals. He says the focus of diplomatic relations should be to eventually convert good relations into opportunities for trade, tourism and investment.

About Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor is a politician and diplomat.

His other books include India: From Midnight to the Millennium, The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India - The Emerging 21st-Century Power, and The Five Dollar Smile and Other Stories.

Shashi Tharoor was born in 1956 in London, England. He graduated with a BA from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He later obtained his MA and PhD from Tufts University. He began his career in the UNHCR as a staff member. He was the Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information. In 2006, he was nominated by the Indian Government for the post of the UN Secretary General. But, he eventually lost to Ban Ki-moon. In 2009, he contested in the General Elections from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency and won. He became Minister of State for External Affairs. He is also a popular columnist for publications like The Times of India and The Hindu. The honors he has won include the Excelsior Award and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.