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‘India’s National Security Crisis: Reinventing the Republic’ written by Maj Gen (Dr) GD Bakshi SM, VSM (Retd) was released at the Vivekananda International Foundation on 21 April 2014. The function was presided over by Mr. Prakash Singh, former DG, BSF and DG, UP Police. Ambassador Kanwal Sibal, former Foreign Secretary, was the guest of honour.

In his inaugural address, Mr Ajit Doval, Director, VIF (who has contributed the foreword to the book) spoke of the contrived national narrative crafted by the Nehruvian school that India was premised on soft power and not hard power as other Westphalian states are. Maj Gen Bakshi then gave a presentation on the book. He highlighted how India’s national Security has been seriously undermined in the current decade. 2014 is a critical year for India’s Security. The challenge from China- Pakistan nexus is on the rise. The US forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan and the ISI could try to impose the Taliban in Kabul. It may push surplus Jihadi cadres towards J & K and rest of India. India is a three front situation – it has China to the North, Pakistan to the West and Maoists and Jihadis in our rear.

The central maxim of our grand strategy should be never to fight them concurrently but sequentially and one by one. India must regain the strategic and tactical initiative in the region. It must strengthen its economy, generate jobs to meet the challenge of the demographic youth bulge and rapidly modernize its armed forces. It must strengthen its strategic partnership with countries like Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, South Korea and Malaysia to balance a rising China. It must raise costs for Pakistan’s sponsorship of terror.

In his address, Amb. Sibal differed with some of the issues raised by the author. Japan will have to overcome its policy of pacifism for a meaningful strategic cooperation aimed at China. Most of these countries relied on the USA for support against China. Mr. Prakash Singh in his keynote address highlighted the threat from Maoism and Jihadi tanzeems to India’s Security. Differences with the UPA government had weakened the states’ resolve to deal with these threats. Of the two, the Jihadis, he felt, posed the major danger.

A lively question and answer session followed the panel discussion.