international relations Archives

The Wild East

The Wild East bridges political economy and anthropology to examine a variety of il/legal economic sectors and businesses such as red sanders, coal, fire, oil, sand, air spectrum, land, water, real estate, procurement and industrial labour. The eleven case studies, based across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, explore how state regulative law is often ignored and/or selectively manipulated. The emerging collective narrative shows the workings of regulated criminal economic systems where criminal formations, politicians, police, judges and bureaucrats are deeply intertwined.

By pioneering the field-study of the politicisation of economic crime, and disrupting the wider literature on South Asia’s informal economy, The Wild East aims to influence future research agendas through its case for the study of mafia-enterprises and their engagement with governance in South Asia and outside. Its empirical and theoretical contribution to debates about economic crimes in democratic regimes will be of critical value to researchers in Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Comparative Politics, Political Science and International Relations, Criminologists and Development Studies, as well as to those inside and outside academia interested in current affairs and the relationship between crime, politics and mafia enterprises.

Teaching India–Pakistan Relations

The rivalry between India and Pakistan began on British withdrawal from the British Indian Empire in 1947, and with the sudden partition of India immediately afterwards. It has proven remarkably resilient. While the countries share a long history and have considerable social–cultural affinity, relations since Partition have been marked by three wars, constant border skirmishes and a deep distrust that permeates both societies. In each, teaching about those relations is weighted with political and cultural significance, and research shows that curriculums have been used to shape the mindset of new generations with regard to their neighbouring state.

This book explores the attitudes and pedagogical decision-making of teachers in India and Pakistan when teaching India–Pakistan relations. Situating teachers in the context of reformed textbooks and curriculums in both countries that explicitly advocate critical thinking and social cohesion, Kusha Anand explores how far teachers have enacted these changes in their classrooms. Based on data collected from teachers via semi-structured interviews and classroom observations in India and Pakistan she argues that, despite whole-nation policies and texts, teaching of India–Pakistan relations is dependent on the socio-economic status of schools. While there is progress towards the stated goals, teachers in both countries face pressures from the interests of school and state, and often miss opportunities to engage with multiple perspectives and stereotypes in their classrooms.

Statecraft and Foreign Policy

Statecraft and Foreign Policy provides an in-depth understanding of India’s rise as an economic and political power and its role in addressing global challenges, from climate change to international trade, security, health and energy. It focuses on India’s statecraft and foreign policy from its independence in 1947 to current politics and policies in 2023 – 75 years later.

The book has three main sections, focusing on the evolution of India’s foreign policy after Independence, its transformation after the Cold War and as India’s economic and political power grew, and India’s engagement with major powers (like the US, China and Russia), neighbouring countries, and international institutions. The analysis draws on International Relations Theory, Foreign Policy Analysis, and the work of classic Indian thinkers like Kautilya. It combines evaluating domestic and international influences on India’s statecraft and foreign policy.

The authors introduce a ‘toolbox’ for studying the making and the outcomes of Foreign Policy based on an analysis of interests, perceptions, and values. This analytical framework goes beyond the Indian case study and can be applied to International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Foreign Policy Analysis.

Praise for Statecraft and Foreign Policy

‘Mitra, Schottli, and Pauli have crafted a remarkably deep analysis of India’s foreign policy. They have not only reviewed the details of India’s foreign affairs, itself no small task, but they have done so in an analytic framework grounded in a profound evaluation of the intertwining of domestic and foreign policy choices and compunctions. As contemporary India has emerged as one of the world’s great powers – great in every sense of that term – this book is essential reading for policymakers, diplomats, scholars, and students of Indian affairs and world affairs. Statecraft and Foreign Policy is a tour de force that will define how we think of India in global politics for decades to come!’ Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Julius Silver Professor of Politics, New York University, USA

‘A sweeping overview, in holistic perspective. Covers independent India’s 75 years, narrating policy development and diplomatic actions. Incisive, balanced, and insightful.’ Kisan S. Rana, Emeritus Professor and Former Ambassador of India to Germany

‘This book offers both a wide compass of Indian foreign policy across its 76 years but also a focused lens that assesses change and continuity across different periods and varied dimensions of foreign policy. Domestic and international variables are brought together in the analysis with a focus on how the Prime Ministers think about and visualize their foreign policies. Each chapter provides a synoptic assessment including additional readings making it an excellent reference that brings analysis of foreign policy up to date. The discussions of India’s multilateral engagements on trade, climate change and international negotiations is a valuable addition to usual bilateral discussions of foreign policies.’ Aseema Sinha, Wagener Chair of South Asian Politics and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College in California, USA

‘The authors have done the almost-impossible – they have provided a synopsis of the most important phases, relationships, and issues that mark the country’s policies beyond its borders. And they have done it engagingly and with sophistication…free of jargon and abstruse theorizing, and yet with a penetrating point of view.’ Professor Kanti Bajpai, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore

Rethinking Heritage for Sustainable Development

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN in 2015 have influenced the actions of international and intergovernmental organisations and governments around the world, and have dictated priorities for international aid spending. Culture, including heritage, is often presented as fundamental to addressing the SDGs: since 2010, the United Nations has adopted no fewer than five major policy recommendations that assert its importance as a driver and enabler of development. Yet, heritage is marginalized from the Sustainable Development Goals.

Rethinking Heritage for Sustainable Development constitutes a substantial and original assessment of whether and how heritage has contributed to three key dimensions of sustainable development (namely poverty reduction, gender equality and environmental sustainability) within the context of its marginalisation from the Sustainable Development Goals and from previous international development agendas.
Sophia Labadi adopts a novel, inclusive, large-scale and systematic approach, providing the first comprehensive history of the international approaches on culture (including heritage) for development, from 1970 to the present day. This book is also the first to assess the negative and positive impacts of all the international projects implemented in sub-Saharan Africa by a consortium of UN organisations that aimed to provide evidence for the contribution of heritage for development in time for the negotiation of the SDGs. The book’s conclusions provide recommendations for rethinking heritage for development, while reflecting on the major shortcomings of the selected projects.