Description
Book SynopsisSteven I. Wilkinson explores how India has succeeded in keeping the military out of politics, when so many other countries have failed. He uncovers the command and control strategies, the careful ethnic balancing, and the political, foreign policy, and strategic decisions that have made the army safe for Indian democracy.
Trade ReviewWhile Pakistan quickly slipped into a rhythm of juntas, India, with much the same colonial heritage, consolidated the world’s largest democracy. Why? Steven Wilkinson’s
Army and Nation offers a new answer to that old puzzle. It is a story of what happens when armies fail to reflect the societies they defend, as well as a meditation on Juvenal’s famous question
quis custodiet ipsos custodes?—who shall guard the guards? …Wilkinson’s book is an excellent guide to the world’s biggest democratic army. It is also a fine answer to Juvenal’s cautionary question. -- Shashank Joshi * Financial Times *
[An] insightful book. -- John Waterbury * Foreign Affairs *
A thorough, detailed, scholarly work and major contribution to studies of praetorianism. -- M. G. Roskin * Choice *
There has been nothing like
Army and Nation in the last forty years, which is astonishing given the importance of the army in India. Wilkinson details the ways in which India made many changes that prevent the kind of army actions we see in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other states. There are many lessons here, both to help Indians better understand their own democracy, and for other nations. -- Stephen P. Cohen, author of
The Indian Army: Its Contribution to the Development of a NationArmy and Nation complements and, in many ways, surpasses other classic books on the Indian army. One of the signal contributions of the book is Wilkinson’s painstaking collection, collation, analysis, and presentation of quantitative information. Nothing remotely comparable exists. -- Srinath Raghavan, author of
1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh
