India and the Rebalancing of Asia
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:23rd Sep '25
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Few regions have transformed as consequentially as Asia in the twenty-first century. In recent decades, China has risen faster than its neighbours and today outranks its major proximate competitors – India and Japan – on economic and defence indices by huge margins. The United States’ interest in balancing against China is especially significant for India, because the contradictions between New Delhi and an increasingly assertive Beijing are the sharpest in the region.
In this Adelphi book, C. Raja Mohan delineates the prospects for an Indian role in structuring a new Asian geopolitical order. Grounding his analysis in the (often neglected) evolution of modern Indian foreign and security policies from the colonial era to the twenty-first century, Mohan argues that China’s rise has compelled India to discard its traditional ambivalence about Chinese power and counter Beijing by strengthening its own national power and developing partnerships with other states, primarily the US. In addition to considering potential challenges to the emerging US–India strategic relationship, the book evaluates India’s likely contributions to a new Asian security, political and economic order in the light of both New Delhi’s enduring regional interests and the policy changes envisioned by the second Trump administration.
‘Raja Mohan's latest work is a carefully crafted analysis of India's role in the emerging geopolitics of Asia. He makes a strong case for India's centrality in this new regional order shaped by China's rapid rise. Mohan explains how India can play its rightful role in Asia, even as it contends with an unpredictable Trump 2.0 administration.’
Lisa Curtis, Senior Fellow and Director, Indo-Pacific Security Programme, Center for a New American Security
‘How will India help shape the future of Asia and the world? Answers range wildly, from some outsiders’ underestimation of India’s relevance to an abundance of confidence within parts of the New Delhi establishment. In this significant book, C. Raja Mohan persuasively provides a middle path. He deploys a mastery of geopolitical history to make the case for Indian centrality in the new Indo-Pacific order – as long as New Delhi’s decisions remain tempered by realism, in every sense.’
Rory Medcalf, Head of the National Security College, Australia National University and author of Indo-Pacific Empire: China, America and the Contest for the World's Pivotal Region
‘Raja Mohan, one of India’s foremost thinkers on international relations, offers a clear and timely account of the forces shaping New Delhi’s foreign policy and outlook. This book provides a vital guide to the worldview of a rising power and the role of India in an ever-changing Asia.’
Suzannah Jessep, Chief Executive, Asia New Zealand Foundation; former Deputy High Commissioner to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (New Zealand)
‘This book provides a compelling account of India’s emergence as a strategic balancer in the Indo-Pacific. With historical precision and geopolitical insight, Mohan unpacks India’s evolving posture – from ambivalence to assertiveness – as it navigates China’s rise and deepens ties with the United States. Essential reading for understanding how India seeks to shape a multipolar Asia while preserving autonomy in a complex strategic environment.’
Ken Jimbo, Professor of International Relations, Keio University; Managing Director of Programs at the International House of Japan (IHJ/I-House); former Special Advisor to the Ministry of Defense and the National Security Secretariat (Japan)
ISBN: 9781041192251
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 420g
220 pages