BOOK REVIEW : State and Foreign Policy : India's Role in South Asia, Academic Publisher

This review evaluates a scholarly volume that surveys India’s foreign policy through the prism of state capacity, leadership choices and regional order. It summarizes the book’s core arguments on strategic autonomy, the balancing of continental and maritime priorities, and the interplay between domestic coalitions and external behavior. The reviewer assesses the treatment of neighborhood policy, from crisis diplomacy to economic initiatives, and comments on the book’s methodology and sources. Strengths include clear periodization, attention to bureaucratic politics and a comparative sensibility; limitations include insufficient engagement with trade and supply-chain shifts. The review situates the contribution within South Asian studies and suggests avenues for future research on economic statecraft and regional public goods.

The body contextualizes the book’s theoretical frame—realism tempered by institutional analysis—and tests it against case studies on conflict management, alliance signals and confidence-building. It examines chapters on nuclear policy, leadership transitions and the management of great-power relations, highlighting the evidence marshaled and where counter-examples complicate the narrative. A section on neighborhood policy evaluates coverage of river-water accords, connectivity projects and people-to-people ties, and notes where the book could better integrate trade facilitation and standards cooperation. The review also discusses archival depth, data transparency and the balance between elite interviews and secondary literature. It concludes by appraising the book’s value for practitioners and scholars, arguing that its disciplined focus on state capacity yields practical insights while inviting complementary work on economic integration and sub-regional institutions.