India

This is the tale of a 16th century county [mahal], consisting of 66 villages, each palying its own part in the history of the region and feeding Goa. In the process it developed a good harbour, an emporium-port, early in its times, and helped Goa establish trade contacts with East and West, which brought glazed ceramics and silks from distant Cathay, exotic Port wine from Europe to quench the lips of an Indian sadhu, printed a Marathi-Konkani classic book Crista Purana, for literature-thirsty people, helped miscegenation of Westerners with Indians, provided neighbouring kingdoms with secretaries and finally brought a new art and architecture to commingle with the artistry of the region.

The Result: an intercontinental cross-culture.

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Ali Ahmed continues his engagement with the themes of his previous two books, On War in South Asia and On Peace in South Asia (both CinnamonTeal 2014), specifically on issues related to India's strategic, military and nuclear doctrines. He takes his discussion of a Limited Nuclear War, broached in his book India's Doctrine Puzzle: Limiting War in South Asia (Routledge 2014) further.

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The book comprises of commentaries by Firdaus Ahmed over the last few years. These articles, which largely deal with South Asian security issues, have appeared throughout 2014-15 in various respected publications such as indiatogether.org, Kashmir Times and the Milli Gazette.

Collectively they make the case that South Asia is 'one' and should come to be seen as such. The security of its states and people is intertwined. South Asian states should move towards a South Asian union. The articles make this case obliquely in covering issues in Indian security, and point to how these overlap borders. Some themes dealt with in the book - India-Pakistan relations, Kashmir, India's Muslims and the rise of religious extremism - clearly show that most problems lend themselves only to a South Asian, rather than national, solution.

The book continues engaging with the issues addressed in Firdaus Ahmed's two earlier books, Think South Asia and Subcontinental Musings (both CinnamonTeal 2014).

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The book comprises Ali Ahmed's writings on strategic affairs and military matters in the period 2008-14. It comprises commentaries on conventional warfare and nuclear deterrence. The work is informed by insights culled during his military service till 2008 and informed by his studies while on sabbatical and later on leaving uniform. From his vantage point as a researcher in a leading think tank and on faculty of a central university in New Delhi, the author observed the strategic debates in India's strategic community. The book reflects on these debates and presents an alternative perspective relying on the relatively less visible liberal perspective in security and peace studies. The book will be of interest to students, researchers, practitioners, policy wonks and the lay public.

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The book follows the experiences and inquisitive mind of Inder that allows him to put forth intelligent and often critical conversations hinged on his entangled love story that spanned decades.