India's Intelligence Culture and Strategic Surprises: Spying for South Block

This book explores India's foreign intelligence culture and strategic surprises in the 20th century, arguing that a nation's strategic culture and its interplay with intelligence organizations and operations are important to understanding intelligence failures and strategic surprises.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 29 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive work delves into India's foreign intelligence culture and strategic surprises throughout the 20th century. It explores whether there is a unique approach to intelligence gathering and analysis in India, and if this affects the country's ability to be caught off guard. Drawing on a wealth of archival data, secondary source material, and in-depth interviews with members of the Indian security and intelligence community, the book offers a detailed examination of India's intelligence culture from ancient times to the post-colonial era.

The author argues that India's strategic culture, shaped by its historical experiences and geopolitical context, has played a significant role in explaining its foreign intelligence failures during strategic surprises such as the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the 1999 Kargil War. However, the book also highlights the country's success in preparing for surprise attacks, such as Operation Chenghiz Khan by Pakistan in 1971, thanks to its evolving intelligence culture.

The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the interplay between a nation's strategic culture and its intelligence organizations and operations in order to comprehend the conditions that lead to intelligence failures and strategic surprises. It sheds light on the challenges faced by India in developing a robust and effective foreign intelligence capability and offers valuable insights into the country's strategic thinking and decision-making processes.

This book will appeal to students of intelligence studies, strategic studies, Asian politics, and International Relations, as it provides a valuable contribution to the field of study. It offers a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of India's foreign intelligence culture and its impact on its strategic posture throughout the 20th century.

Weight: 730g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032282947