Description

Indian diplomacy,' a veteran diplomat told Shashi Tharoor many years ago, `is like the love-making of an elephant: it is conducted at a very high level, accompanied by much bellowing, and the results are not known for two years.' In this lively, informative and insightful book, Tharoor brilliantly demonstrates how Indian diplomacy has become sprightlier since then and forecasts where it will need to focus in the new millennium. Explaining why foreign policy matters to an India focused primarily on its own domestic transformation, Tharoor offers a clear-eyed vision of an India now ready to assume global responsibilities. He surveys India's major international relationships in detail, evokes the country's soft power and offers his thoughts on a new `grand strategy' for the nation, arguing that India must move beyond non-alignment to multi-alignment.