Security forms an important component of the way international relations are played out. After Independence in 1947, India followed a policy of non-alignment to protect and promote the interests of the new born nation. India’s security concerns at that time revolved around the threats emanating primarily from Pakistan. China was also perceived as a threat to India’s national security.

However, the age of neo-liberal globalization has added additional dimensions to the conventional threats. In the post-Cold War period, the major security concern of India emanates from cross-border terrorism. The challenges posed by international terrorism, global economic meltdown and environmental degradation including climate change are also security concerns that India has to address seriously. The crisis in the energy sector is another major security challenge. On the domestic front, India faces many challenges including poverty, illiteracy, social and economic inequalities, communalism, regional imbalances, development-based displacement etc.

This book contains 21 research papers—authored by experts in various fields—which examine various dimensions of India’s security concerns and suggest appropriate policy formulations in this regard. In general, the need for out-of-the-box approach for ensuring security in its holistic dimension has been emphasized. 

Mohanan B. Pillai is Professor and Director, UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of South Asia Regional Co-operation (UMISARC), Pondicherry University, Puducherry. A teacher of repute for more than three decades, he is the founder editor of ISDA Journal—Studies in Development and Administration, Trivandrum. He is also the founder Editor of International Journal of South Asian Studies, Pondicherry University. Specialising in development studies, South Asian studies and political theory, he has published several books, research papers and articles in these areas. His major books include, Politics of Regionalism in South Asia (1991); Globalization of Economy (1995); Gandhi’s Legacy and a New Human Civilization (1999); Quest for a Just World Order (1999); Women and Law (2003); Decentralised Governance and Participatory Development (2005) and Foreign Policy of India: Continuity and Change (2010). He has travelled widely in India and abroad to participate and present papers in several international and national conferences, seminars and workshops.