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India and the United States in a Changing World
Edited by Ashok Kapur and Y K Malik
Sage Publications
Price: Rs 795

THERE8217;S no ambiguity about the fact that Indo-US relations were on rather rocky grounds until Bill Clinton stepped upon India8217;s terra firma. This volume elucidates Mandelbaum8217;s theory: 8216;8216;The purpose of foreign policy is not to cultivate good relations, but to maintain the best possible relations consistent with the nation8217;s interests. Sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice goodwill for the sake of more important goals.8217;8217; And American foreign policy pursued this dictum with almost single-minded dedication, especially when it came to strategic relations with India. Bilateral ties between the US and India have been chronicled here from 1947 with engaging precision .

Be it the scientific and technological vision harboured under Rajiv Gandhi8217;s prime ministerial tenure, a half century of scholarly exchange between the two countries, the Kashmir imbroglio, or the US failure in controlling the nuclear agenda in South Asia, the volume contains essays on various subjects of interest, in near-academic style, by analysts and academicians. With a mundane cover and factual details galore, where the collection ostensibly lacks is analytical depth.