This book focuses on the developments in post 2014 Afghanistan with external military support from the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies. It discusses topical themes such as the withdrawal of US troops and non-traditional security.

Owing to its geo-strategic location and mineral wealth, Afghanistan has acquired significance in the inter-state politics of Asia as well as world politics during the past decades. This book outlines Afghanistan's efforts to build a stable and peaceful democratic polity, with external military support from the United States and its NATO allies. It also analyses the nation's development initiatives with major powers such as India, the United States, Russia and Germany. The volume: * brings to the fore ongoing tensions within the Afghan polity and its continued impact on Asian/world politics; * discusses topical themes such as withdrawal of US troops and non-traditional security; and * presents perspectives from scholars and experts from around the world, including Afghans. This work will be useful to scholars and researchers in political science, international relations, sociology, area studies, and the interested general reader.

Africa finds itself at the centre stage of world politics in the twenty-first century. To truly determine its rising influence and role in world affairs would mean unravelling the politics of imperialism, the Cold War and globalisation. Going beyond Euro-American perspectives, this book presents a comprehensive study of Africa and its role in world politics. Africa in World Affairs: * Closely examines the transition of Africa in its colonial and post-colonial phases; * Explores the intellectual history of modern Africa through liberation struggles, social movements, leaders and thinkers; * Investigates the continent's relationships with former colonial powers such as Britain, France and Portugal; untangles complexities of French neo-colonialism and sheds light on the role of the superpower, such as the USA and major and rising powers like China and India; * Highlights complex and wide-ranging diversities of the region, and the ways in which it continues to negotiate with issues of modernity, racism and globalisation. A core text on Africa and the world, this book will be indispensable for students of African studies, politics and international relations, and history. It will also be a must-read for policymakers, diplomats and government think tanks.

Africa finds itself at the centre stage of world politics in the twenty-first century. To truly determine its rising influence and role in world affairs would mean unravelling the politics of imperialism, the Cold War and globalisation. Going beyond Euro-American perspectives, this book presents a comprehensive study of Africa and its role in world politics. Africa in World Affairs: * Closely examines the transition of Africa in its colonial and post-colonial phases; * Explores the intellectual history of modern Africa through liberation struggles, social movements, leaders and thinkers; * Investigates the continent's relationships with former colonial powers such as Britain, France and Portugal; untangles complexities of French neo-colonialism and sheds light on the role of the superpower, such as the USA and major and rising powers like China and India; * Highlights complex and wide-ranging diversities of the region, and the ways in which it continues to negotiate with issues of modernity, racism and globalisation. A core text on Africa and the world, this book will be indispensable for students of African studies, politics and international relations, and history. It will also be a must-read for policymakers, diplomats and government think tanks.

In the year of the fiftieth death anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, this timely book has ventured to review Nehru's contribution in shaping trajectories of political developments in pre and post-independent India. In the process, it covers a wide canvas of ideas, ideologies, personalities and events that were most significant in Nehru's political career as a freedom fighter (1920-1947) and the first Prime Minister of India (1947-1964). In his relentlessly persuasive narrative, the author not merely argues that Nehru was the tallest leader of independent India but he places Nehru next only to his master, Mahatma Gandhi. On the one hand, the author gives credit to Nehru for recasting Gandhian ideas within the framework of modernity, while on the other hand, he is conscious of the fact that Nehru parted company with Gandhi as a modernizer and built foundations of heavy industry, constructed large dams and chose to run Indian National Congress (INC) as an umbrella party, even though Gandhi would have liked it to be dissolved after independence. The author asserts that even though Nehru's emancipatory project of development did take cognizance of Marxist ideas, he was uncomfortable with dogmatic and doctrinaire views of Indian communists who looked for inspiration from outside to formulate their plan of action in India. Consequently, he chose to oppose them in domestic politics. After observing all the protocols of scholarship and going through the relevant primary sources in minute details, the author has refrained from squeezing Nehru's policies into any straitjacket schematic framework by either dubbing them as idealistic or realistic. Instead, he has explored complexities that shaped such policies in order to come to terms with the making of modern India.

This unusual collection of essays dwells upon a wide variety of themes that essentially reflect, overtly or subtly, on the processes of nation building. As a result, the author traverses like a gypsy in the world of ideas to allow his soul to express itself before his readers. In this process, the book reveals author's ever maturing understanding of a few memorable poems, the role of inspiring leaders, metaphysical essences of life and society, traumatic events and processes in history, the human quest towards institution /nation building and the likely role of younger generations in shaping India of tomorrow. A gypsy that is hiding deep down in the author's mind continuously makes him restless within the narrow confines of the know would and wandering in the world of ideas appears to be an obvious outcome of his restlessness. In the context of nation building the book sheds a new light, with some personal touch , on the contributions of leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak and Mandela. Subsequently it moves on to grasp on essence of life through the teaching of Savta Mali, a thirteenth century saint poet, with metaphysical depth, fromMaharashtra. In addition to exploring the daunting tasks in understanding and interpreting history, the book analyses traumatic events and process in history like partition and erection of the Berlin wall. While perceiving any trauma across time and space the author unveils the significance and impact of the nation of alienation in emerging and post industrial society by discussing a moving poem of Kusumagraj in Marathi, on the one hand, and writings of a few celebrated existentialist thinkers like Albert Camus, on the other hand. After highlighting the global and anti-colonial perspectives on education of J. Krishnamurti and Frantz Fanon, respectively, the author handles themes related to institution and nation building. He underlines the significance of duties, his vision of India, challenges before younger generations amid growing frustrations on account of mounting socio-economic inequalities, the state of higher education in the globalising world and changing requirements of foreign policy in the process of nation building. The book ends with a semi-autobiographical essay that virtually sketches a partial biography of two major educational institutes, namely universities of Hyderabad and Allahabad. Owing to its varied intellectual concerns and lucid style the book is eminently readable. Every thinking and sensitive mind, especially students literature, philosophy and social sciences would be benefitted by reading it.