India And Pakistan In War And Peace

India and Pakistan in War and Peace (2002)
by J.N. Dixit
Published by Books Todat (yes, “Todat” — perhaps the proofreader was on leave that day)
ISBN: none (because ISBNs are for amateurs, not for South Asian geopolitics)
Condition: Good (meaning the book has survived its own border skirmishes with dust, tea stains, and careless shelving)
Sold by Crappy Old Books™

In the early 2000s, while most of the world was trying to work out whether Nokia or Motorola would win the mobile phone wars, veteran diplomat J.N. Dixit sat down to tackle a rather more serious rivalry: the endlessly combustible relationship between India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan in War and Peace is his sober, authoritative, occasionally hair-raising chronicle of two neighbours whose idea of neighbourly disagreement often involves armies, nuclear tests, and very frosty cricket matches.

Inside, you’ll find:

• A detailed account of wars, ceasefires, treaties, and the bits in between when both countries pretended to be on speaking terms.

• Enough acronyms (UNMOGIP, Tashkent, Simla, Kargil) to make you feel you’ve accidentally joined a spy agency.

• Sharp diplomatic analysis from a man who knew the corridors of power firsthand — and who almost certainly could have written a spicier memoir if he weren’t being polite.

• The creeping realisation that “peace” chapters are rather shorter than the “war” ones.

This particular copy is in Good condition: its spine is intact (unlike many bilateral agreements), and its pages may bear the gentle patina of having been read in a few too many waiting rooms. Still, it remains perfectly serviceable for anyone keen to understand why “subcontinental détente” sounds like an oxymoron.

Perfect for:

• Students of international relations who like their case studies messy, ongoing, and emotionally exhausting.

• Armchair diplomats who believe they could solve 70 years of tension with one really good WhatsApp group.

• Collectors of books whose publishers thought spelling “Today” correctly was optional.

Crappy Old Books™: where even geopolitics comes with a touch of shelf-wear and irony.

Keep browsing: See more War books Other books by JN Dixit