John W. Garver

A masterly and highly detailed account of the subject. The author deals with both sides of the China-India balance evenly, giving credit where due to some of the successes that India has had, e.g. in Sikkim, Bangladesh (in 1971), in Nepal, etc. But on the whole India comes out a bit battered in the tussle, both due to the comparatively faster growth and modernisation of China, and due to the resistance of India's smaller neighbors in South Asia to what may be seen as Indian hegemony. India show more has not been able to move much toward resolving its disputes with Pakistan, or for that matter with China itself on the border dispute, giving China leverage with Pakistan. The author revels in his analysis of China's nuclear arms policy with Pakistan, where India is at a loss. He lays out the strategic policy before India in an impartial and scholarly manner, apart from a couple of puzzling mistakes (he calls the Sri Lankan Buddhist population of Tibeto-Burman stock), making this book a must for anybody interested in the South Asia theater. show less