Uneasy Neighbours (India and China After 50 Years of The War)

Five decades after the War of 1962, relations between India and China remain uneasy. In spite of increased political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries, distrust remains. At the surface level, leaders of both countries never lose an occasion to reaffirm their commitment to stronger ties. However, both know that underneath lies a huge chasm, difficult to bridge.

Towards the end of the second millennium and in the middle of the twentieth century, both India and China re-emerged as two independent powerhouses eager to surge ahead on the strength of their relative populations and resources. That has once again set the two countries against each other as rivals.

China and India opted for totally different political doctrines after their independence in the late forties. China’s occupation of Tibet in the fifties and the Sino-Indian War of 1962 have further exacerbated tensions between the two countries.

Of particular significance is the War of 1962.

This book deals with the history of the 1962 War and highlights India’s failure to understand her neighbor well. Inida continues to suffer from the same deficiency, as she continues to trend the path she had tread before the war.

This book proposes that the two countries will remain fierce competitors and hence it is imperative for India to understand the thinking, tactics and tantrums of her ‘uneasy neighbour’.

Ram Madhav Varanasi is a postgraduate in Political Science and a keen student of geopolitics, strategic and security studies, and international relations. He has travelled extensively and spoken at universities and other events in more than 20 countries. He served as an active journalist for over a decade from 1990 to 2001. He continues to contribute articles to various publications. He has authored several books in Telugu and English. Some of his books include:

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee—A Biography (Telugu); Kanhoji Angrey—The Maratha Naval Hero (Telugu); Vivisected Motherland (Telugu); India-Bangladesh Border Agreement 1974—A Review (English); and Communal Violence Bill—Against Communal Harmony (English).

He is the Director of the India Foundation, a Delhi-based strategic studies and international relations think tank; and is a member of the Central Executive of the RSS.