World Peace and National Security: New Challenges

Contents: Preface. 1. Restoring peace: from preventive Diplomacy to peace-making and peace-keeping/Ashu Pasricha. 2. The idea of making peace profitable: a case for a new peace paradigm/Linda D. Tomlinson. 3. Asia-pacific security: challenges, trends and implications/Maj. Gen B.K. Sharma. 4. China-Pakistan relations: an all-weather friendship/Lt. Gen. Amit Sarin. 5. Foreign policy-making in India/J.K. Baral and A.K. Tripathy. 6. Peace-conflict lifecycle/Bishnu Pathak. 7. Education and educational philosophies for peace-harmony: in reference to existence-based human centric co-existentialism/Surendra Pathak. 8. China’s increasing footprint in South Asia: implications for India/Sanjay Kumar. 9. Making peace with people and planet/Seema Pasricha. 10. Indian ocean and the sea lanes of communication (SLOC)/Kulvinder Singh….Index.

Peace and security has been and remains a permanent ideal and aspiration, as well as a right and a duty. However, in our fast-paced, interconnected world, peace and security is at risk. While world wars are becoming, it may be hoped, a thing of the past, violence, civil strife and conflict continue to define the lives of millions. Internal conflicts and terrorist attacks demonstrate that the presence of peace and security can never be taken for granted. As an ongoing process of political, economic and cultural negotiation, peace and security requires constant engineering, vigilance and active participation. It implies commitment and a long term vision, and this entails a blend of traditional and contemporary ways of understanding the roots of conflicts, ways of mitigating violence, and paths towards reconciliation and healing. 

The principal objective of national security is the protection of the territorial integrity and political sovereignty from external aggression. Technological advances and proliferation of weaponary mean that future wars between states will exact a horrific toll on civilians. (jacket)