BOOK REVIEW

SUBMITTED BY
IC-89717N
LT PARTH SACHDEV
21 RAJPUT
CONTENTS

1. Bibliographic Citation.
2. About the Author.
3. Theme.
4. Synopsis.
5. Critical analysis.
6. Conclusion.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION

1. TITLE STRATEGIC
CHALLENGES INDIA IN 2030
2. AUTHOR (EDITOR) VIKRAM SOOD
3. PUBLISHER HARPER COLLINS
4. LANGUAGE ENGLISH
5. NO. OF PAGES 319
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

1. Jayadeva Ranade, a former additional secretary, Research and Analysis

Wing, is a security and intelligence expert. He is a seasoned China analyst with over
forty-five years of experience in the field and has studied Chinese at the Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi, and Hong Kong University.

2. Ranade’s foreign assignments have included Hong Kong and Beijing, and his
last foreign posting, prior to retirement in late 2008, was as minister in the Indian
Embassy in Washington. Ranade was a member of the National Security Advisory
Board and is presently president of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy and a
distinguished fellow with the Centre for Air Power Studies. He frequently contributes
articles on China to many national newspapers, magazines and publications.
THEME

1. In his book, Strategic Challenges: India in 2030, Ranade focuses on the

shifting sands of contemporary geopolitics. And puts the focus and emphasis firmly
on the key strategic challenges India is likely to face by the year 2030.

2. Strategic Challenges highlights that although still a major super power the US
and the West are struggling to maintain and retain their dominance, while emerging
Superpowers in the Indo- Pacific region are demanding representation at the Global
higher table. The already major power like China and Russia are adopting much
stronger and muscular policies with the intent of changing the global order,
especially through military force. Each player is seeking to shape the events of the
world order to their advantage.

3. Because of these changing dynamics, India finds itself in a position that

require bold, nimble and dexterous policies and moves. Also, India is presented with
an opportunity to wield influence in the world order that would place it in an
advantageous geopolitical position.

4. The book Strategic Challenges aims to form a fuller picture of the situation by
examining the various pieces that make up this dynamic kaleidoscope, with chapters
authored by India's leading thinkers, analysts and strategists.
Chapter 1: China’s Major Strategic Threats to
India till 2035

1. It is the first chapter of the book. It is further divided into sub parts into which the
author conveys his views. Which are as following
(a) Introduction and China’s Centenary Goal.
(b) Immediate Territorial Threat.
(c) CPEC: Chinese and Pakistani Territorial Ambitions
(d) China’s Military Strategy: Propaganda Onslaught and Cyber Offensive
(e) Economic and Diplomatic Factors, Science and Tech, Food and Water Security.
(f) India, the Dalai Lama and China and Conclusion.
2. Ranade brings out that since 2012, when Xi Jinping came into power, China has
adopted increasingly aggressive policies against most of its neighbors, especially India.
3. He points out that China has assessed this as the right time to make an overt bid for
global leadership.
4. He highlights Jinping’s ‘China Dream’- his centenary goal to recover all the so called
’lost’ territories.
5. The Author has also included an article which was published in Wen Wei Poe, a
Hong Kong daily, on 08 Jul 2013, whose excerpts are
(a) “The best strategy for China is to incite the disintegration in India.”
(b) “The second-best plan is to export advanced weapons to Pakistan, helping
Pakistan to conquer Southern Kashmir region in 2035 and achieve its unification.”
6. He says that Given China’s growing territorial claims, the most immediate risk to
India will be military.
7. China’s 14th Five Year Plan (2021–2025) has also approved the construction of new
border infrastructure. This includes twenty ‘multipurpose’ border airports, a highspeed
railway linking Chengdu with Lhasa, in addition to the upgrading and extending of national
highways along China’s Himalayan border.
8. Ranade also points out that China is leaving no stone unturned to secure its
investments in the CPEC.
9. He describes about China’s military strategy which extends beyond conventional
warfare. Its current doctrine incorporates learnings from the West’s operations in Libya, Iraq,
Afghanistan, and now Ukraine.
10. He points out that China has eyed the Indian market and, over time, made serious
inroads as well. It has ingressed critical sectors of the Indian economy and successfully built
a pro-China lobby, especially in the business sector, without Indian officials awakening to the
extent of the damage done.
11. On the Diplomatic front, Beijing has never hesitated to pull out all stops to expand its
influence and achieve its global ambitions.
12. Ranade says that, China will use all these elements of power, its constituency of
support in world organizations, along with its permanent membership in the UNSC.
13, In its quest to become a global superpower, China has for years focused on
acquiring a leading position in science and technology, with an emphasis on military
applications.
14. Towards the end of the chapter, he points out that given the absence of trust after
May 2020, India will have to ensure strict reciprocity in bilateral relations and not yield or
show even a hint of deference on matters of territorial integrity and national sovereignty. At
the same time, New Delhi will need to try and keep relations peaceful to concentrate on its
own important development agenda.
CHAPTER 2 – PAKISTAN: THE INEVITABILITY
OF ENMITY.

15. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Islam and Pakistan.
(b) Pakistan’s Intentions and Capabilities.
(c) The Nuclear Option.
(d) Afghanistan and the Taliban.
(e) Internal Disturbances.
(f) China’s Hold on Pakistan
(g) The Economy.
(h) The Future
16. The editor of this article, Vikram Sood, points out that Pakistan has been ruled
directly by the army through most of the seventy-odd years of its existence, and indirectly the
rest of the time.
17. He says that the country runs on the beliefs Pakistan was an Islamic idea, where the
argument was that Islam cannot coexist with Hindus and the two adherents must live
separately.
18. He notes that Pak’s intention is anti-India in every way and its ultimate desire to
dismember India.
19. He brings out that Pakistan’s acquisition of nuclear weapons was meant to counter
India’s superiority in conventional weapons and give the country some security.
20. Sood notes that the strategic values of CPEC to both China and Pakistan are seen
to be immense by both countries. China’s objectives may be wider, but both share a
common objective of keeping India down.
21. About the Economy, Sood states that Pakistan’s dependence on debt is so excessive
that almost the entire net revenue is accounted for debt servicing, roughly PKR 3.1 trillion, its
defence expenditure of PKR 1.37 trillion which is more than the cost of running the
government.
CHAPTER 3- SECURITY CHALLENGES: INDO-
US RELATIONS.

22. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Global Vision.
(b) Search for a China Strategy.
(c) Trade and Economic Issues.
(d) Afghanistan/Pakistan.
(e) US-Russia Relations.
23. The author of this chapter, Arun Singh, sees that ,in the Biden years, the relationship
will, be impacted by the vision that the new administration lays out for its global role and
challenges affecting its foreign policies.
24. Domestic political compulsions and American efforts to preserve its preeminence in
the global context will drive a search for partners and institutional architectures in the ‘Indo-
Pacific’ to ‘shape the environment around the rise of ‘China’.
25. The ‘Interim National Security Strategic Guidance’ declared that the US will ‘deepen
partnership with India’ through increased participation in QUAD as well.
26. On the trade front, Arun Singh comments that India and the US has improved the ties,
with more focus on mil eqpts and wpns.
27. Arun highlights that the US–Russia relations entered an intensified adversarial phase
with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
28. He points out that Businesses and governments in both countries could seize this
moment to build new, trusted and secure supply chain relationships.
CHAPTER 4- RUSSIA AND EURASIA IN INDIA’S
CALCULUS

29. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) The Setting.
(b) The Indo-Russian Partnership.
(c) The US Factor.
(d) Challenges in Central Asia.
(e) The Russia-China Embrace.
(f) The Impact of Russia-Ukraine War.
(g) Stressing Convergence, Managing Divergence
(h) Russia and the Indo-Pacific
30. The Author of this chapter, P.S. Raghavan, highlights that Russia acts as a ‘neutral’
territory for bilateral talks betn India and China.
31. Later on, he notes that US-Russia Relations have impacted Indo-Russian Relations.
32. Raghavan states that India imports nearly 60 percent of its mil eqpt and wpns from
Russia, hence making Russia backbone of Indian Military.
32. Later the Author tells us that Sino-Russian Relations are strengthening, which is
becoming a constant source of worry for India.
33. Towards the end, he goes on to highlight the poor Russian Planning and Troops trg
which were seen in the Ukraine War.
CHAPTER -5 OLD WARS, NEW WARS:
STRATEGIZING FOR FUTURE AND LAND
WARFARE

34. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Changing Strategic Geography and Geostrategic Context.
(b) Transition of Strategic Geography.
(c) India’s Threats and Challenges.
(d) Grey-Zone Warfare against India.
(e) Technology: The Driver of Future Warfare.
(f) Strategizing for Future Land Warfare: In the Indian Context.
35. The Author of this Chapter, Rakesh Sharma, states that The Russo–Ukraine War,
has clearly indicated that warfare is changing at a dramatic rate and scope.
36. He indicates that the strategic geography of South Asia is undergoing intense
transition due to infrastructural development and demographic changes in Tibet, Xinjiang,
Gilgit-Baltistan, PoK and Pakistan.
37. He highlights that By virtue of its history of antagonist relations with Pakistan and
China, India is placed in an adversarial environment along its borders.
38. He also highlights that the Sino-Pak ‘all-weather friendship’, has grown to menacing
proportions.
39. He emphasizes that the anti-India grey-zone warfare emanating from Pakistan is
fairly large, and is not only related to disinformation and incitement but also incl fake Indian
currency notes, drugs, hawala money and sponsoring terrorism.
40. In the end, Rakesh Sharma gives five broad strands of future warfare in the Indian
context are relevant for consideration.
CHAPTER 6 – AEROSPACE: A SECURITY
PERSPECTIVE.

41. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Threat Spectrum in Aerospace.
(b) The Triple Challenge in Aerospace.
(c) Aerospace Opportunities.
(d) The Way Forward.
42. The author of this chapter, Raghunath Nambiar, signifies that India’s military
aerospace sector has closely mirrored the civil aviation sector with a large portion based on
imports.
43. According to him, our nation faces numerous perils and security challenges, which
include:
(i) Ballistic Missiles.
(ii) Cruise Missiles.
(iii) Lack of Fifth-Generation Fighters.
(iv) Drone Warfare
44. In the triple challenge, India’s aerospace challenges could be loosely grouped into
three categories, which are:
(i) Lack of Sufficient Funds.
(ii) Fiscal Angle.
(iii) Project Management.
45. In the end, he states that there is a need to leverage the advantages aerospace
offers to our military and industries to our benefit.
CHAPTER 7 – TRAJECTORY OF INDIA’S
MARITIME SECURITY CHALLENGES.

46. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Geopolitical Landscape.
(b) Challenges for India.
(c) Confrontations Likely to Occur.
(d) Power Projection in PLAN.
(e) The Quad.
(f) AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom and United States).
47. The author of this chapter, Shekhar Sinha, highlights that Prime Minister Modi during
his keynote address at the Shangri La Dialogue in 2018 stated that the Indian Ocean was
both the heart and the beginning of India’s Indo-Pacific vision.
48. He also highlights that, the maritime domain offers India space to expand and
explore without getting boxed in the south of the Himalayas.
49. He notes that, the single biggest geopolitical change being witnessed by the world
today is the ‘painful’ and aggressive rise of China.
50. According to him, Piracy, thefts, drug and human trafficking, terrorism and IUU
(irregular unreported fishing) are some of the serious challenges the navy faces on a daily
basis.
51. He also highlights that India, on its part, has deployed its navy at the choke points of
the Indian Ocean. These spaces are patrolled by its ships, submarines, aircraft, satellites
and human intelligence.
52. He states that, Quad has come about to ensure maritime security in the Indo-Pacific
region and also counters the Chinese influence in the SCS region and its countries.
CHAPTER – 8 EMERGING AND DISRUPTIVE
TECHNOLOGIES

53. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Sensing.
(b) Processing.
(c) Communication.
(d) Artificial Intelligence.
(e) Projectiles, Propulsions and Platforms.
(f) Cyber Biosecurity.
54. The Author of this Chapter, Prabhat Ranjan, has quotedPeter Diamonds, the growth
cycle of digital technologies takes place in six key steps (referred to as the ‘Six Ds of
Exponentials’): digitization, deception, disruption, demonetization, dematerialization and
democratization.
55. According to the Author, the types of processing include:
(a) Neomorphic Computing
(b) Quantum Technology
56. Prabhat Ranjan says, communication can be of two major types, one way and two-
way. Other communicatuin modes are:
(a) Radio Communication
(b) Sattelite
(c) Optical
57. The author quotes the US Defense Science Board’s definition of AI:‘The capability of
computer systems to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence’.
58. The Author highlights that UAV(Drone) usage and manufacturing has increased over
the past few years and the types of UAVs are:
(a) Monitoring eqpt.
(b) Countermeasure eqpt.
CHAPTER 9: CHINA-INDIA RIPARIAN
RELATIONS: UPSTREAM–DOWNSTREAM
DYMANICS

59. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Yarlung Tsangbo/Brahmaputra Profile.
(b) China’s Legacy of Hydrocontrol.
(c) Tibet: A Water Tower.
(d) China’s Dams and Diversions.
(e) India Needs to be Proactive not Reactive.
60. The Author of the Chapter, Uttam Kumar Sinha, writes that blessed with enormous
glaciers and alpine lakes, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,the ‘rooftop of the world’, is the
location of the Brahmaputra river basin.
61. The author highlights that, According to the Ministry of Water Resources, China
shares more than fifty major international watercourses with its downstream riparian
neighbours, which include thirteen directly bordering countries and three closely
neighboured countries.
62. Then the author tells about the Chinese Hydrocontrol history, mentioning Mao
Zedong and his policies of harnessing the rivers.
63. Sinha points out that Tibet is a storehouse of freshwater and the source of many
mighty rivers which incl Huang He and Yangtze or the Mekong, Brahmaputra, Indus and
Sutlej.
65. The author highlights that since the 1950s, China has built over 22,000 dams of more
than 15 metres height and in March 2021, it announced world’s largest hydroelectric dam
across Yarlung Tsangpo river.
66. The Author also highlights that India needs to have more water development
footprints in Arunachal Pradesh to enhance economic growth in the region.
67. In the end, the Author emphasizes that, India’s strategic and policy initiatives on the
Brahmaputra have to be carefully balanced between pursuing a ‘water dialogue’ with China
and an emphasis on a ‘basin approach’ with Bangladesh and Bhutan.
CHAPTER 10 – THE SKY ABOVE AND THE AIR
AROUND.

68. This chapter is further sub divided, which are as following.

(a) Cyber Threat Scenarios.
(b) Outer Space: A Domain of Endless Possibilities.
69. According to the Author of this Chapter, Kiran Karnik, In the last few years, corporate
entities have begun to take on a big and comprehensive role in this field too, with many
implications.
70. The Author highlights that unlike outer space, cyberspace is not all that recent, with
computers predating large-scale space efforts and going back to the middle of the last
century.
71. The author has used many examples from Hollywood movies and Silicon Valley to
support his Article and highlight the importance of cyber security.
72. The author highlights that in the last few years, as part of the overall process of
digitalization, India has created public platforms like Aadhar and Unified Payments Interface
(UPI).
73. In the end the Author points at the key characteristics of these dimensions which incl:
(a) The inherently global nature of cyber and outer space, and limitations of
national sovereignty over them.
(b) Risks and investments are particularly high in the arena of space, where
failures are not uncommon.
(c) The force-multiplier effect of cyber and space, especially when integrated with
conventional forces. A similar effect-multiplier or benefit-multiplier results from
their integration into the social and economic spheres.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS

74. The quality of print & paper used in the book was quite good. The font was also
readable.
75. It does justice to the cost it was purchased in, but much better could have been
written by the author.
76. The knowledge and experience of all the authors is clearly seen in the depth and
well researched articles which are very interesting as well as informative.
77. A few additional diagrams, photographs could be found in this book, which were
sparsely helpful.

CONCLUSION

78. In conclusion, “Strategic Challenges: India in 2030” is a highly recommended read

for anyone interested in India’s political, economic, and security challenges. The author
provides a thoughtful and well-researched analysis of the key issues that India will face in
the years to come, and provide a roadmap for India’s continued progress as a leading nation
in the region.
"Strategic Challenges India in 2023" by Jayadeva Ranade is a comprehensive examination
of the major challenges that India will face in the next few years. The author provides
insightful analysis of the political, economic, and security challenges that India will face in
2023 and beyond. The book is well-researched and thought-provoking, and provides a
thorough overview of the key issues that India will need to address in order to continue its
progress as a leading nation in the region.

One of the strengths of the book is its focus on India's domestic and regional politics. The
author provides a detailed analysis of India's political landscape, including the challenges
posed by various political parties, regional interests, and ethnic and religious tensions. The
author also provides a thorough examination of India's economic landscape, including the
challenges posed by inflation, corruption, and economic growth.

Another strength of the book is its focus on India's foreign policy and security concerns. The
author provides a detailed analysis of India's relationship with its neighbors, including China,
Pakistan, and the United States, and the challenges that India will face in maintaining peace
and stability in the region. The author also provides a thorough examination of India's
military capabilities and its role in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
In conclusion, "Strategic Challenges India in 2023" is a highly recommended read for anyone
interested in India's political, economic, and security challenges. The author provides a
thoughtful and well-researched analysis of the key issues that India will face in the years to
come, and provides a roadmap for India's continued progress as a leading nation in the
region.