Book review: Malti Goel, Science Diplomacy for South Asian Countries: Insights and Breakthroughs
| Published date | 01 September 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/23477970241261434 |
| Author | Nikita Vats |
| Date | 01 September 2024 |
Book Reviews 425
in the outcome? Basrur explains this using the cost-benefit model, arguing signifi-
cant cost for the India–US deal not going through and the lack of such cost for the
latter. However, such cost and benefit analyses are post facto explanations. During
the decision-making process, these calculations are not based on objective empirics.
How is the fall of domestic government, the possibility in both cases if coalition
partners withdrew, costlier in one than in the other? While power deficit limits
the course of actions, it does not exhaust them, as seen during the optimal outcome
of the nuclear deal. The question here is why policymakers engage in risky
behaviour—in the case of Manmohan Singh, the risk of going out of power—
despite the domestic power deficit. Basrur’s explanation in cases of involuntary
drift relies heavily on structural constraints without giving creative leeway to agents.
Could a possible alternative explanation be located in a status variable, where a
quest for higher status allows policymakers to engage in risky behaviour whereas
risk-averse strategies are followed if policies are agnostic to status demands?
Overall, the Subcontinental Drift is a commendable theoretical work on India’s
foreign policy, a field criticised for producing non-theoretical work. Basrur uses
neo-classical realism to explain how domestic factors affect foreign policy
decision-making processes. The book’s novelty lies in its classification of policy
drift that afflicts India’s foreign policy and has led to inconsistencies in policy-
making. The chapter on nuclear strategy standalone makes an important contribu-
tion by explaining doctrinal ambiguity, which has largely remained unobserved
and unexplained. Another novel contribution is to show how political leaders con-
tinue to abdicate responsibility, which is also currently manifested in Modi’s
China policy and its handling of the Manipur crisis.
ORCID iD
Rishabh Yadav https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8540-9256
Rishabh Yadav
MMAJ Academy of International Studies
Jamia Millia Islamia
New Delhi, India
E-mail: realrishabh@gmail.com
Malti Goel, Science Diplomacy for South Asian Countries: Insights and
Breakthroughs. Springer Singapore, 2021, 214 pp. ISBN: 978-981-16-
3024-8 (Hardcover).
DOI: 10.1177/23477970241261434
Malti Goel’s recent book Science Diplomacy for South Asian Countries: Insights
and Breakthroughs explores the intersections of science, diplomacy and its appli-
cation in the context of regional cooperation in the subcontinent. It posits that
science diplomacy using scientific collaboration for international relations is a
crucial yet overlooked lens for understanding South Asian diplomacy. It contends
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