Downtime

Book Review - India’s Moment

by: BTM - Tue, 02 Jan 2024

The former Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, Dr. Mohan Kumar, who served in the Kingdom from 2010-2015, is one of the most respected diplomats of recent times. Last month, he released his second book, India’s Moment, at St. James Court London Taj Hotel on November 23. Now Dean at O.P. Jindal University, we take a look at Dr. Kumar’s latest work.

The idea of how India negotiates with the world is at the heart of this book. Dr. Kumar, a career diplomat, represented India at multiple international fora over a career spanning three and a half decades. During this time, he would invariably be told that Indian negotiators were among the best in the business. And yet, several of his interlocutors would ask, in the same breath, why India was such a tough customer when it came to multilateral negotiations. Indeed, it was hard to escape the view, held even by India’s friends, that the country was somehow more of a naysayer than a partner in key international parleys.

This book is a sincere attempt to set the record straight. At one level, India is not very different from other countries insomuch as it seeks to protect where necessary, and advance where possible, its national interest. There are several unique aspects about India and the way it approaches multilateral negotiations with the world. This book dwells on some of those fundamental factors and traces how India’s positions have evolved over time.

A central contention of this book is that India has moved, slowly but surely, from being an alleged naysayer to becoming a putative partner for the world in key multilateral negotiations. More broadly, this reflects India’s growing political, economic and strategic clout in the world today. It is only when this transformation is fuller and more substantial that India will be able to fulfil its manifest destiny of becoming a leading power, capable of shaping global rules.

Dr. Mohan Kumar launching his book India’s Moment in London

The chief guest at the book launch was Indian High Commissioner to UK, HE Vikram Doraiswami, the guest of Honour was Lord Kamlesh Patel from Bradford. Also present was Vice Chancellor Prof. Smith of University of Southampton. The event was organised by Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, Professor Dr. Raj Kumar.