Security in southern Asia 2.India and the great powers / ed by Timothy George; Robert Litwak and Shahram

Southwest Asia, stretching from Iran through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, has become the focus of external superpower
rivalry and the subject of great domestic and regional turmoil. These cross-cutting influences on the region are described and
their effects analyzed in this book, The tribal, cultural, religious and political rivalries are complex, yet each in their way shape the
security context and will determine the region's future, They are unlikely to be resolved and it is hard to imagine regional
security arrangements capable of handling the tensions and potential for conflict. Outside powers, given the importance of the region, are likely to regard the region with concern and this will shape their policies towards it.
India and the Great Power

India is the dominant power in South Asia by virtue of size, power and influence, Her relations with the major external powers
concerned with the region -the USSR, US and China - are therefore of great importance, The evolution and present state of these
relations are described in detail and, from the perspective of each of the major actors, their attitudes to and relations with the other two actors wilt- respect to India are analyzed Each looks warily at the others in formulating their policy. with respect to India and attempts to limit the influence of the others over India's policies, India, while nominally desiring to remain wholly independent, cannot in fact resist or avoid playing one great power off against the others, while turning their rivalry to India's advantage,