The following book chapter appeared in an edited volume, India Now and in Transition (ed. Atul Thakur, Niyogi Books, 2017). The full text can be accessed here.
Strategy is a much misunderstood, misused, and maligned
concept. In general, it refers to how individuals and organisations set goals
and attempt to achieve them under uncertain conditions and with limited
resources. In the context of national policymaking, the term ‘strategy’ is
often used as shorthand for ‘grand strategy’. Grand strategy is how a national
leadership controls and utilises resources to effectively promote a country’s
vital national interests and secure those interests against adversaries. A
successful strategy depends in large part on its feasibility and
sustainability.
As India emerges in the 21st century, evolving gradually
into a middle income country with increasingly global interests, it will find
itself adapting to a rapidly evolving international system. India’s resources
today are greater than at any time in its history, and it no longer
confronts existential threats. But while the country may now be less
vulnerable, it will have to confront different—and sometimes
unprecedented—challenges. Are India and its leaders up to the task?