Finish the job! — Main lesson from Sindoor

Asked yesterday about requesting Israel to hold off attacking Iran in order to get a peace initiative going, US President Donald Trump replied that he could make such a request but it is difficult to ask “the winning side” to stop! [‘The Source’ with Kaitlin Collins, CNN, June 20, 2025]

Now extrapolate that comment to his intervention May 9-10 in the India-Pakistan clash that Trump insists he ended, but complains he has not received the publicity or the credit for! — and what can one conclude? Essentially, that by America’s reckoning India was NOT WINNING — or why else, by the Trumpian logic, would Modi stop the Indian military operation when he did?

Indeed, why did India end its actions as soon as Trump came on the scene? Prime Minister Modi’s and external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s weak, flustered, and entirely unconvincing reactions that successfuly striking the important Pakistan air force bases, including the PAF command, control, communications hub at Nur Khan in Chaklala, was in fact the sole strategic objective, having achieved which the Indian government had no further interest in prolonging the “war”, is laughable. Surely, there was more planned than just these aerial attacks. What could those plans be? Perhaps, “kabaddi tactics” — army lingo, as a former theatre commander told me, for taking some terrain features across the LOC? But Sindoor was bereft of even such small actions.

Or, just may be, Trump’s call put Indian military plans — whatever they were — on hold after the aerial strikes, as the Indian PM scrambled — almost a reflex tendency of the Indian government in the new millennium, to please and pacify the US President by ending Sindoor right there and then.

Except, it spelled a tragic end to what could have been game-changing developments, including a deliberate hiving off of, say, the Haji Pir Salient, a significant portion of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir territory that could have been executed with a Division-size force, with the Pakistani forces inside the Bulge aerially bombed into pulp with Indian air dominance, for the Indian army units to mop up.

Such an end would have left the Pakistan army high and dry — an entity for the Pakistani people to mock — after all could General Asim Munir have declared a great victory as he did after Sindoor, with the Indian tricolour flying over Haji Pir? Munir, far from awarding himself the Field Marshal’s baton might have seen his “superiors” in the Corps Commanders Conference — all graduates of the Pakistan Military Academy, Karkul, handing him — a parvenu from the Officer’s Training School, Mangla, his backside on a platter, and an ignoble retirement. Instead, he lunched with Trump, heard the US President tell him (according to BBC News in Urdu) how “honoured” he [Trump] was to meet him, and to say “I love Pakistan” and, satisfyingly, saw a re-hyphenation India and Pakistan. He returned home with his celebrity as the Prophet’s own — the Man who would realise Gazwa-i-Hind, burnished!

And all because, as usual, the Indian leadership lacked the strategic sense and understanding to push for the military advantage staring them in the face! This has happened many times in the past, most egregiously, when Indira Gandhi terminated the 1982 operation that would have led to the Israeli Air Force, staging out of Jamnagar and Udhampur, bombing the crap out of Kahuta, with the underground weapons complex at nearby Golra then under construction, and ending the Pakistani nuclear weapons programme and aspirations for good. But the likes of PN Haksar and other advisers prevailed, and Indira G called off the action — for fear, get this! – of negative international opinion! That Israeli op had planned on IsAF F-16s dropping precision bombs and F-15 flying escort (combat air patrol), and would have worked as did the previous such Israeli action in 1981 that took out the Osiraq reactor complex in Baghdad.

Now consider an alternative scenario and outcome: Prompted by US intel and US Central Command CINC army General Michael Kurilla that Pakistan is too useful to the US to allow it go down, Trump calls Modi, say, the evening of May 9th. Aware of the missile strikes planned for midnight, the Indian PM commits to nothing. By 1000 hrs May 10th the situation is clear — missiles have taken out most of the major Pakistani air bases and radar complexes (such as Sargodha) and no coordinated PAF air activity is now possible. Such actions as the PAF can still muster would be from satellite fields without the infrastruture to sustain heavy actions. So, India achieves air dominance over Pakistani skies.

Assuming the Indian air force had anticipated this turn of events and a cued-in army had instantly begun probing actions by 1200 hrs and full push into the Haji Pir area by 1600hrs. All this would have happened after Trump called again, by when Modi would have stalled the White House by simply not getting on the phone — very busy with engagements, etc, after all the PM has a country to run that is multiple times more complex than the US, so very busy! Meanwhile, the US Kh-11 satellites and their humint penetrated deep inside GOI would have alerted Trump that the Indian army would take Haji Pir. A desperate Munir-Shehbaz would call Trump for help. Trump would find Modi not coming to the phone — again, very busy! By May 15-16, with IAF raining down bombs and Indian 155mm howitzers continuously pounding the Pakistani army formations inside the Haji Pir Bulge for the previous 5-6 days and the Indian army taking care of details, the Haji Pir, in this shock Indian action would have been vacated of any Pakistani presence, or would have had a “bag” of Pakistani army POWs.

So, finally when the PM would reach a phone, he could explain to Trump how he was busy, among other things, propitiating the Lord God of Odisha, Lord Jagannath, etc and gone into great detail about Odisha culture and so on, and bored Trump to tears. It would have completely thrown off Trump, mystified him no end, and upended his talking points. And Modi would explain to Trump the new reality on the ground — Haji Pir in J&K and how all was well with the world. And alert Trump to the fact that in case of future terrorist incidents, more parts of POK would similarly, automatically, and permanently be annexed and absorbed, and quote the relevant sections of international law on ceasefire lines, to stress the legitimacy of Indian military actions!

The US President’s relaying any idiotic Pakistani nuclear threat could have been met with a quiet dare to Munir to just try it. That would have done it for Munir, Pakistan, and American interference in Kashmir affairs. The trouble is India never finishes the job. At Simla in 1972, with 93,000 Pakistani POWs as leverage, Indira G could have enforced a victor’s peace — and wrenched all of POK including Gilgit Hunza and Baltistan from Pakistan, and formally settled the border on this new line stretching all the way from Gurdaspur to Skardu and points north. But the Indian PM succumbed to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s sweet words and promises.

In Sindoor, taking Haji Pir would have incentivised Islamabad — on the pain of losing more and more of its POK in this manner, to formally accept the new LOC established as the international boundary. And ended the two-front nonsense the Indian military is so preoccupied with that it ignored for five decades the very real China threat until Galwan in 2020 knocked some sense into them — the previous major faceoffs in the Depsang Plains and in Dokla in 2017 apparently ringing no loud alarm bells.

Instead, what’s the scene post-Sindoor? Trump is publicly and playfully contemptuous of Modi, Munir lunches at the White House, the CDS futilely accounts for the Indian aircraft lost on May 7th, and the Defence Secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh refers to Trump’s invitation to Munir — not Shehbaz Sharif — and the General’s running the show on the other side of the Radcliffe Line — as “an embarrassment” as if that is some great revelation!

Slim Pickings, ain’t it? This when India could have had so much more if only the Indian armed services were more on the ball and geared to grabbing military opportunities on the battlefield by their forelocks, and the Indian leaders had shown more self-respect, held their nerve, and brushed off Trump’s pressure. That, incidentally, would certainly have drawn regard and respect from Trump, who is in awe of strongmen, alpha leaders, who stand up to him. Recall how Kim Jong-un of North Korea tamed him, and Putin has him on a leash. And why he called Munir to the White House and, insultingly as an afterthought, also invited Modi — who thankfully had the good sense to decline. This last was the only good thing the Indian PM did post-Sindoor.

Unknown's avatar

About Bharat Karnad

Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, he was Member of the (1st) National Security Advisory Board and the Nuclear Doctrine-drafting Group, and author, among other books of, 'Nuclear Weapons and Indian Security: The Realist Foundations of Strategy', 'India's Nuclear Policy' and most recently, 'Why India is Not a Great Power (Yet)'. Educated at the University of California (undergrad and grad), he was Visiting Scholar at Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies, and Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, DC.
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51 Responses to Finish the job! — Main lesson from Sindoor

  1. Email from Dr V Siddhartha, former Science Adviser to Defence Minister

    V Siddhartha

    Sat, 21 June at 3:26 pm

    Reur: “….  to formally accept the new LOC established as the international boundary.”

    Even the old one – minus wrinkles — is fine, IF Paki is “forced” to propose it. Forced by who? By Trump on Munir. Let Trump  claim credit. 

    After which Paki only needs its Rangers, and we (at Paki border), the BSF.

    VS

  2. whatsinitanyway's avatar whatsinitanyway says:

    We penetrated their air defence, a couple of days more and we could have penetrated their minds? Their mind is in Kashmir 🙂

  3. Gopichand's avatar Gopichand says:

    sir what is ur opinion on Indian revolutionaries and their attempts like hindu german conspiracy I feel had India became independent through armed revolution it would have been a better country under leadership of sc Bose, bhagajatin I follow ur posts regularly I agree with ur opinions plz reply sir

    • Well, a chapter in my book under writing deals with this subject. Yes, freedom could have been achieved much earlier with Bose, Bhagat, et al.
      But MK Gandhi — the prime British collaborator delayed it.

  4. certainc620777236's avatar certainc620777236 says:

    Professor karnad,

    First of all thanks and respect to you for playing such a critical role in designing india’s nuclear doctrine.

    Do you think that taking over astola island of Pakistan which is the only major offshore island they have. It’s only 156 km away from gwadar the CPEC lifeline and now we have standoff weapons and advanced missiles in our arsenal we can very easily take out any target in gwadar if Chinese play their games with the pakistanis and many of their bases on their shorelines are sitting ducks. What’s your take on this ? Like taking over all three (skardu + haji pir salient + astola island). If uk can protect falkland islands from 12000 km away and France can protect reunion in IOR, why can’t we if it’s just 100 km away from Gujarat coast?.

    Sir I agree and love to see that happen that India should takeover haji pir salient and skardu, but are we even prepared for it? .

    As you very rightly said about india’s weak nuclear arsenal that our tested bombs are only 10-15 kilo tons in one blast and china 3.3 million tons of TNT in one blast. That’s unfortunate and you are the best person to ask about it and I agree it’s sad situation, I would also like to put some facts in front of you which are even more sad and especially for a mountain warfare if we want to fight..

    1.Super sukhoi upgrade : Out of our 272 4 ++ gen su-30, only 84 !! Will be upgraded to super sukhoi standard by 2035 !!!! which includes state of the art radar, new engine, new ew suite and better sensors and cockpit etc etc barely 1/3 rd of the fleet will become advanced only by 2035 !!! , you are more qualified on this than me that why delay is a problem and country is the one which suffers due to it. You can see that so less will be prepared to fight china only by 2035 !!! . 10 years 🤷‍♂️.

    2 . Tejas mk-2 : This program is going since 2015 and till today there is no prototype and in 2021 they promised (ADA and DRDO) that first flight would be in 2023 , then it didn’t happen, then they promised in 2024 then also nothing happened. Now they promised in dec 2025 . Recent reports are saying that it’s further delayed to mid 2026 and on side you dangerously depleting squadron strength with legacy fighters facing out (jaguar, mig-21, mig-29, mirage 2000).This is criminal!!!!

    3 . ATAGS artillery gun : We recently signed contract worth Rs 6900 cr with bharat forge and tata advanced systems to acquire 307 atags in 60:40 ratio and it’s first batch will start coming from next year only and you know this better than me sir that how important is advanced artillery in mountain warfare .!!

    4 Lch helicopter : We gave a contract worth 45000 cr to acquire 156 lch helicopter with 50:50 ratio of public and private sector. It’s delievery will begin from mid-2028 and it’s the only attack helicopter in the world which can fly upto 18000 ft and it’s important in mountanious region like skardu and haji pir and to attack other posts in pok.

    5 MMRCA deal (126 aircraft) : I have been hearing this for “ages” that we will buy nearly 7 squadrons, but no sign at all of it getting signed, no negotiations most likely it would be Rafale only , as there is no point in opening any new foreign supply chain and our squadron strength is depleting very badly. Everything is in front of you!!

    6 . 83 tejas mk-1A deal plus latest upcoming 97 tejas mk-1A deal : In 2021 the IAF placed an order worth Rs 48000 cr to buy tejas mk-1A, which is a 4 ++ gen plane not 4.5 , it will mk-2 version of it and now they are on the verge of giving a contract for 62000 cr for 97 tejas mk-1A, airforce is raining orders on them, but they still haven’t delivered a single mk-1A version fighter to IAF despite saying that we are letting private players like L&T and dynamic systems manafacture significant portion of parts of it!!!

    7 AMCA : No prototype, no first flight nothing till know . And still the engine development deal with either Rolls Royce and sadran isn’t signed and no indications still of it not getting signed. They are inviting private sector, but they say with this also the first aircraft would be ready in 2030 !!! and God knows when all 200 planes will enter service.

    Now after seeing this all going on, do you think that our armed forces are prepared for a full scale battle with both china and pak . Sir i would humbly request you to give me your email id and i can give you countless examples of all the nonsense, delays and criminal mismangment in defense, as Indian enterprises are interested in empire building they want more and more projects which they don’t deliver. Sir, you decades of experience in this you tell me which other country has 3 different types of trainer aircraft programs!!!?? . But we in India our ” Upsc pass singlle exam pass namuna babus want this ” And it’s happened IGT, TGT, AGT when are we going to call out this fiscal indiscipline. Looking forward for your response on this unfortunate situation. I hope you understand what I’m trying to nail. Thanks.

    • Dhairya Upadhyay's avatar Dhairya Upadhyay says:

      Okay truth be told by the time we will get AMCA the manned figther jets will get obselete. MMRCA deal is never going to happen. I beleive PMO is knowing stalling it. Think if we were in such a dier need for these jets won’t we would have been hurrying on it?

      Either they know that the Figther Aircrafts are already obselete and what they have are enough to get the job done. Or there is something else and they have a plan for it.

      Otherwise we will be having Iran like fate againts China if the Mayday come. But then again will the Mayday come? Isn’t avoiding a mayday war againt China is crucial. After all these WAR’s the best thing for USA will be India going a War with China. China will not be able to conqurer India as a whole so that War will last long, we will be Eukraine for China.

  5. Gururaj's avatar Gururaj says:

    Sir,

    Your astute observations, delivered in your characteristic style, are undeniable. I largely concur with your core observation that India should have capitalized on the momentum of Op Sindoor—India should have pursued further action instead of halting military operations. Sustaining the operation could have reshaped the tactical dynamics, particularly through ground advances, and this underscores a missed opportunity.

    However, one needs to factor in several positive aspects of Op Sindoor as well:

    – As Prime Minister Modi rightly stated, Operation Sindoor has only been “paused,” not “called off.” This important nuance keeps strategic flexibility intact and ensures readiness to respond if provoked again.

    – A clear and unambiguous message has been sent: any act of terrorism emanating from across the border will be met with swift and punitive action.

    – Pakistan’s use of the nuclear threat as a deterrent has been rendered ineffective. India has demonstrated that there is sufficient space for conventional military responses even under the nuclear overhang.

    – India has effectively signalled its ability to orchestrate escalation dominance—calibrating the conflict to its advantage without allowing the adversary to dictate terms.

    As a military veteran, it is very heartening to witness this refreshing change in India’s strategic posture, seen consistently over the last few years, first through Balakot, then Muridke/Bahawalpur, and now with Sindoor. The message emanating from New Delhi seems to be very clear: India will respond decisively and on its terms. This is my humble opinion.

  6. Mr. A's avatar foodometry says:

    @BharatKarnad

    Is there a way to marry the risk taking attitude of Pakistani Generals with India’s superior firepower+geography and other resources to create a military behemoth.

    Heck if Pakistani’s were in charge of the subcontinent, they would have replied to China’s territorial threats by making a dash for Lhasa or Urumqi !!.

  7. slayer_bot's avatar slayer_bot says:

    A slight disagreement Professor. The events of past couple of days have clearly not “Finished the job”. Iranians apparently had evacuated critical equipment out of Fordow days before the attack. And the attack itself looks like it was intended to shape media headlines more than give a serious blow to Iranian capabilities. It’s all a speculation right now but what is clear is bombing their facilities will not curtail Iran from making the bomb. They have developed the knowledge over past decades in this regard and that cannot be bombed. Also, the situation looks no where near a ‘regime change’ operation can be executed. There are rumours of closing down of Hormuz now which if true will be no less than a slap on US’ face and would bring turmoil world over.

    On a different note I read an article by Kenneth Waltz in FA from 2012, titled Why Iran should get the bomb ? He makes a compelling argument that it will indeed balance the power in West Asia and bring stability to the region. This should be eminently in India’s interest. I don’t know why some Indian IR thinkers (Happymon et al.) think that Iran not getting a bomb is in India’s interest. Would be nice if you could throw some light over this.

    • My view is based on the farseeing Dr Bhabha’s when he wrote to Nehru in 1955 that more atomic bomb-owning states, the greater the chances of peace! It predated the view of Kenneth Waltz by some 25-30 years! All in my book — Nuclear Weapons and Indian Security!

  8. Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

    @BharatKarnad

    professor karnad i have two questions

    i)After today’s American strike with B2 and MOP on natanz and fordow has the Iranian nuke weapons programme being taken out and years of research and development destroyed

    ii)former russian pm medvedev on record has said that russia is ready to give and handover iran readymade nuclear weapons can that actually happen

    your opinions?

    • i) No
      ii) Russia’s giving Iran ready nuclear missiles for use — as China did to Pakistan, would be an option once Putin determines there’s no point dealing with Trump.

      • Sagar's avatar Sagar says:

        The recent US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities makes it clear that US can/will attack the the nuclear facilities of those nation which are not bending before US.In this backdrop I have two questions for you professor.

        1.Why not restart the thermonuclear testing and rapidly modernize and expand our nuclear arsenal to such a level that it becomes impossible to take it down?

        2.Why not increase the range of our missiles to target any place on the world map?

      • Renewed open-ended testing, megaton thermonuclear weapons and genuine ICBMs is what I have been advocating in my books and writings for 30 years! (See my Nuclear Weapons and Indian Security.)

      • Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

        @BharatKarnad

        agni 5 is a genuine ICBM it can hit targets upto 8000km with MIRV

        what more is needed?

      • A-5 range is 5,500 kms

  9. futuristically365ae7e3c0's avatar futuristically365ae7e3c0 says:

    @BharatKarnad

    sir I have two main question

    sir after these recent American strikes it is clear that Americans write their own rules and break it at will if they feel it isn’t useful to them anymore.

    I)why aren’t we trashing the wretched us civilian nuclear deal that took from us so much and in return gave us back almost nothing I am convinced the purpose of the deal was to capture our thermonuclear yield and what is that one thing that is stopping us from walking away from this deal.

    ii)the Iranian parliament talks about blocking the strait of hormuz what effect will it have on 3 nations america , china and india I am taking about the economic consequences oil and trade

    your valued opinions?

  10. Raj Yadav's avatar Raj Yadav says:

    Sir please write an article and explain this Israel/US-Iran “Nuclear” conflict. No one can do it better when it comes to nuclear better than you. Thank you.

  11. Deepak's avatar Deepak says:

    Dear Sir,

    1. Why Agni 6 is not getting tested.I think it is already developed.Can we have a range of 6 to 12k for agni6 but test only for 6k range to avoid US pressure against India having 10k plus range ICBM?Can we move it directly into SFC without testing it(only simulation if possible) as a backup just to avoid US bullying in the future?
    2. what is the status of K5 or K6 slbm? Can we develop 10k plus range slbm if US does not allow Agni 6 to be tested fearing it is designed to target US. SLBM we can give excuse that we want 10k plus range to target China from safe waters of Arabian sea.
    3. Do we have any deep bunker buster capability like US MOP to destroy facilities like Fardow as Chinese have many deep underground facilities.
    4. Do we need to get TU-160 or PAK DA bomber?
    5. Why sudden ceasefire between US-Israel and Iran.
  12. Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

    @BharatKarnad

    professor karnad it is quite true that the iranian nuclear programme is still going on it has not been taken out according to many international media and sources the Iranians knew a attack with the MOP ordinance is incoming and had already moved their centrifuges from fordow to a safe location .

    Trump out of frustration says that Iranians won’t get nuclear weapons . Pentagon chief is screaming and saying that the programme is obliterated.

    don’t you think that these strikes will motivate iran even more to have a nuclear weapon so that no nation in future tries to decapitate a sovereign nation

    Maybe we could see a test in the next 6 months

    Would like to know your opinion that will the Iranians now will get the bomb or abandon it forever

      • Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

        @BharatKarnad

        Sir do you see if the Iranians test we should also go ahead and do a physical round of tests specially for thermonuclear armaments

        we can get an excuse

        also another opposite question don’t you think we should wait for a appropriate opportunity when america and China tests we can go ahead immediately recently there have been many talks in the American policy circles to test again

        your views?

      • India does not need excuses. But lily-livered Indian govts have time and again passed up on events that should have been used for resuming N-tests. Like North Korea’s over half a dozen tests in quick succession, any one of which could have been the trigger.

      • Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

        @BharatKarnad

        and this government does not have the guts to do it

        maybe a future government or a new prime minister

        you see be it BJP or congress both have done irreversible damage to india’s interest specially in the nuclear field

        they have been indecisive

        my respect for you you have been screaming the same thing again and again for decades

        how do you deal with this frustration sir?

  13. Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

    @BharatKarnad

    Sir when we Google about the 1998 tests it says that the 2 stage S1 device was scaled down version of the 200 or 275kt weapon it was designed to 45kt and gave 30 kt

    then they name a scientist called kakodkar who says that the weapon was a success and he can design a 200kt warhead

    then why do you say it is a failed thermonuclear pls correct me if I am wrong i mean this scaling down of the design i am quite new to this topic

    if you could clarify on this scaled down claim never heard this from you or in your videos

  14. Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

    @BharatKarnad

    Sir when you say that megaton has its own psychological effect i completely agree with your logic

    but you see 20kiloton ain’t a firecracker i mean a 15 kiloton warhead dropped on hiroshima a tier 2 city with poor accuracy killed almost 160000 people and follow up thousands of deaths in stages

    aren’t you convinced that a 20kt dropped on a tier 1 high population density city like shanghai will take out somewhere between 0.5 million to 0.7 million people isn’t that enough to detter CCP

    However I agree with you when you say that why claim thermonuclear status then accept that you only have fission bombs

    also pls correct me if I am wrong it was dr pk Iyengar himself who claimed that we can design a 100kt fission boosted weapon however it will also be unproven

    my regards

  15. Vikram Singh's avatar Vikram Singh says:

    It does bemuse and befuddle all observers that no Indian military leader has come out and clearly articulated what specific gains and victories we achieved through the operation. Versus on the other side they have been trumpeting the number of downed jets ad nauseam. Thus, we have to rely on your revelations here about their air nerve-centre being rendered inoperable. This lack of real transparency from our side and fruitless propaganda through sending those risible delegations overseas have done us no favours. In contrast, it does seem to many that Trump’s hosting Munir for more than 2 hours was some sort of “victory lap” for him, even if the facts tell a different story as you relate here.

  16. typhoonmaximum254b0f9a4f's avatar typhoonmaximum254b0f9a4f says:

    Dr Karnad, In your analysis, why suddenly US stopped the war in Iran ?

  17. Rahul's avatar Rahul says:

    Sir

    I WANT TO BUY YOUR BOOK “NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND INDIAN SECURITY”. BUT ITS NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE…..LIBRARY EDITION IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON FOR 12000 RUPEES WHICH I CANT AFFORD. CAN YOU HELP?? ….CAN YOU SHARE ANY CONTACT OR ONLINE SOURCE FROM WHERE I MAY ORDER IT. I WANT TO BUY IT DESPERATELY….

  18. Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

    @BharatKarnad

    professor karnad a little bit offtopic but regarding your books

    I own 4 of your books out of the total 7 i have read them but what is there in this 1994 book future imperilled you are the author so the best person to ask this

    • In the lead essay in Imperilled, I deconstruct Nehru’s and India’s geopolitics and suggest a geostrategic architecture for the future: Israel and Japan as the tech and military anchors, India as the pivot able to switch forces/resources east or west, and leading a ‘rimland coalition’ of littoral/offshore Asian states. It was the first exposition on Indian geopolitics (as far as I know). It is an architecture India is trying now to put together.

      It also has chapters, among other notables, by General Khalid Arif, who ran the Pak army during (his fellow Jullundari) Zia’s rule, US Senator Larry Pressler — author of the Pressler Amendment, General Sundari, KPS Gill, and K Subrahmanyam. It is the only anthology (I edited) that I am aware of boasting of such a galaxy of authorities on their subjects. It is still worth reading (if you can find a copy anywhere!)

      • Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

        @BharatKarnad

        damn looks interesting

        The fact is you got general sundarji ,Mr gill and other influential men too contribute is a big thing

        would try to get hold off a copy if i can I had too search a lot for your 2002 book too but I got a copy and I am glad I got it

      • Yea, these people were/are my acquaintances — including also AP Venkateswaran, former Foreign Secretary, and Dov Zakheim, who last was US Under-Secretary of Defence. There was/is much mutual respecting of views.

  19. Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

    @BharatKarnad

    https://www-theweek-in.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2025/06/28/trump-does-not-see-india-as-being-in-the-same-league-as-china-russia-or-other-near-coequals-mk-narayanan.amp.html?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17512162237745&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theweek.in%2Ftheweek%2Fcover%2F2025%2F06%2F28%2Ftrump-does-not-see-india-as-being-in-the-same-league-as-china-russia-or-other-near-coequals-mk-narayanan.html

    in this article former NSA mk Narayanan a police officer whom k santhanam reffered to as “babe in the woods” when it comes to nuclear matters beacuse he was mad on santhanam for telling the truth about the s1 thermonuclear fizzile

    says that the new trump administration sees india below the league of russia and China he says india is at par with Pakistan in some instances even inferior then Pakistan because pakistan can offer airbases,minerals it has a strategic location that the Americans cannot afford to loose

    Your 2015 book on this topic was an eye opener for me

    then comes our strategically illiterate population that is in a delusion that we are a great power of some consequences

    he then says that India’s slow decision making democracy and non alignment and all the nonsense of strategic autonomy is to blame

    do you agree with Narayanan’s views

    would love to know your detailed opinion on this specially on non alignment part and is pakistan more important then india for the Americans

  20. Cmdr Ashutosh's avatar Nuclear General says:

    @BharatKarnad

    professor karnad a little bit offtopic but i would like to know more about your ideology

    what kind of realism do you follow do you call yourself a classical realist , neo realist , defensive realist, offensive realist or a neoclassical realist

    Who is your guru and what is your preffered type of realism

  21. Vikram Singh's avatar Vikram Singh says:

    Professor, may I suggest you pen a new blog based on the revelations of the Naval Attaché in Indonesia. It gives a new slant to Operation Sindoor. Your ruminations on this hot media topic will be most helpful.

  22. typhoonmaximum254b0f9a4f's avatar typhoonmaximum254b0f9a4f says:

    Dr Karnad, US is talking about imposing 500 percent tariffs on countries that purchase oil from Russia. Will this force India to give up its ties with Russia ?

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