Synopses & Reviews
India's growing affluence has led experts to predict a major rearmament effort. The second-most populous nation in the world is beginning to wield the economic power expected of such a behemoth. Its border with Pakistan is a tinderbox, the subcontinent remains vulnerable to religious extremism, and a military rivalry between India and China could erupt in the future. India has long had the motivation for modernizing its military --it now has the resources as well. What should we expect to see in the future, and what will be the likely ramifications? In Arming without Aiming, Stephen Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta answer those crucial questions.
India's armed forces want new weapons worth more than $100 billion. But most of these weapons must come from foreign suppliers due to the failures of India's indigenous research and development. Weapons suppliers from other nations are queuing up in New Delhi. A long relationship between India and Russian manufacturers goes back to the cold war. More recently, India and Israel have developed strong military trade ties. Now, a new military relationship with the United States has generated the greatest hope for military transformation in India.
Against this backdrop of new affluence and newfound access to foreign military technology, Cohen and Dasgupta investigate India's military modernization to find haphazard military change that lacks political direction, suffers from balkanization of military organization and doctrine, remains limited by narrow prospective planning, and is driven by the pursuit of technology free from military-strategic objectives. The character of military change in India, especially the dysfunction in the political-military establishment with regard to procurement, is ultimately the result of a historical doctrine of strategic restraint in place since Nehru. In that context, its approach of arming without strategic purpose remains viable as India seeks great-power accommodation of its rise and does not want to look threatening. The danger lies in its modernization efforts precipitating a period of strategic assertion or contributing to misperception of India's intentions by Pakistan and China, its two most immediate rivals.
Synopsis
India's explosive economic growth and rising affluence have led many experts to predict a major rearmament effort. The second-most populous nation in the world is beginning to wield the economic power one would expect of such a behemoth, while its border with Pakistan remains a potential tinderbox and the subcontinent remains vulnerable to religious extremism. So the resources for rearmament are there, as are the motives. But what in fact has India actually done in the way of improving its military? What should we expect to see in the future, and what will the likely results be? In Arming without Aiming, Stephen Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta answer those crucial questions.
India is one of the world's leading importers of advanced conventional weaponry, with expenditures upward of $100 billion on arms from abroad. One might infer from such investments that a well-planned, cohesive buildup is underway. The authors' investigation of India's military, however, reveals a very different story. Cohen and Dasgupta found that the buildup has lacked political direction and has suffered from weak prospective planning, individual service-centered doctrines, and a disconnect between strategic objectives and the pursuit of new technology.
The haphazard character of military change in India results from the competing pulls and pressures of an affluence-led military buying spree and a historical doctrine of strategic restraint in place since the Nehru regime. While expensive and redundant, India's approach of arming without strategic purpose is a viable approach as India seeks accommodation of its rise by other great powers. The danger lies in whether the modernization effort compels a period of strategic assertion on India's part use 'em or lose 'em or at least misperception of its intent by Pakistan and China, its two most immediate rivals.
Praise for Stephen Cohen's India: Emerging Power
Cohen wraps up this eminently researched and intuitive study with the confidence that India has begun overcoming many of its deficiencies and has discovered new strengths....The author has done ample justice to his reputation as the maestro of South Asian security studies. AsiaTimes.com
Synopsis
"India, a leading importer of advance conventional weaponry, has not planned strategically for its military needs, although the haphazard approach, due to competing elements within the military and a restraint policy in place since the Nehru era, may be the right one in seeking accommodation with others in the region"--Provided by publisher.