Top South Asian foreign policy challenges for 2016

Raj Verma discusses the key challenges that threaten to South Asian stability in 2016, from tensions between India and Pakistan, India’s “unofficial blockade” of Nepal, Afghan instability and the renewed rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the region

India, China and the Depsang Valley quagmire

LSE’s Raj Verma deconstructs the Depsang Valley border conflict between India and China in April and its implications for bilateral relations between the rising Asian powers

Book review: the US Pivot and Indian foreign policy: Asia's evolving balance of power by Harsh V. Pant and Yogesh Joshi

In their new book The US Pivot and Indian Foreign Policy, Pant and Joshi explore India's response to the USA's strategic balancing approach in the Asia-Pacific region. Raj Verma finds the book a wide-ranging examination of US-China-India relations but argues it would have benefitted from a more focused approach

Book review: China and the new Maoists by Kerry Brown and Simone Van Nieuwenhuizen

In China and the New Maoists, Kerry Brown and Simone Van Nieuwenhuizen examine the endurance of Mao as a figure with continued, albeit controversial, resonance in contemporary China, with particular focus on the emergence of ‘new Maoism’. This compelling book is a must-read for those looking to get a better understanding of China’s recent history and its internal politics, writes Raj Verma

Book Review: Modi's world: expanding India's sphere of influence by C. Raja Mohan

Modi's World, a collection of newspaper articles by veteran journalist C. Raja Mohan, traces how Modi's foreign policy has compared with that of his predecessor and how it evolved during his first nine months in power. Raj Verma finds the book an easy read with great journalistic flair, but notes that this does come at the price of academic rigour

Book review – India in Africa: changing geographies of power

LSE’s Raj Verma describes the book “India in Africa” as a welcome addition to the growing literature on the South Asian giant’s engagement with the African continent. Click here for more articles in the ‘Why India-Africa relations matter’ blog series

The Tiger and the Dragon: a comparison of Indian and Chinese investments in West Africa’s oil industry

LSE’s Raj Verma describes how India and China differ in their approaches to mobilising crude oil in West Africa. Read more articles in the “Why India-Africa relations matter” blog series

Book review: beyond South Asia: India’s strategic evolution and the reintegration of the subcontinent by Neil Padukone

In Beyond South Asia: India’s Strategic Evolution and the Reintegration of the Subcontinent, Neil Padukone explores India’s strategic thought and culture since independence, and the domestic and regional factors that have shaped it. Raj Verma writes that while the book is an easy and accessible read, it suffers from some major and minor errors which undermine its analytical rigour, and readers should be mindful of its shortcomings

The Oxford Handbook of Indian Foreign Policy edited by David M. Malone, C. Raja Mohan and Srinath Raghavan

In The Oxford Handbook of Indian Foreign Policy, editors David M. Malone, C. Raja Mohan, and Srinath Raghavan aim to offer an authoritative and up-to-date survey of foreign policy in India since 1947. Raj Verma writes that, despite some limitations, the book is an essential read for students at all levels and scholars who want to familiarise themselves with India’s foreign policy debates

Author response: India and China in Africa: a comparative perspective of the oil industry by Raj Verma

Earlier this month Ian Taylor reviewed India and China in Africa, a new book about Asian engagement in the West African oil industry. Here, the book’s author Raj Verma responds to Taylor’s comments, outlining the rationale and evidence for the framework used in the study. India and China in Africa: A comparative perspective of the oil industry. Raj Verma. London: Routledge. 2017