Discordant democrats: Five steps of consensus
By Arun Maira
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 200
Price: Rs 395 (Hard bound)
Is India’s democracy noisy? Does democracy reduce discord? Should it follow development, not precede it? Are some questions which Arun Maira asks as he simultaneously builds a case that points towards reassessing democratic principles and questioning ourselves why inspite of democracy, consensus, power to the people, the supreme benefit of choosing our rulers has only made discord more apparent, be it in India, US, parts of the Middle East or even Afghanistan which claims to have ‘restored’ its democracy.
Without any jargon and/or intellectual rambling, a pointer is raised on building a healthy democracy and on the importance of not leaving the task to politicians alone for unless people, across levels involve themselves, the agenda of reshaping the world they inhabit will remain incomplete.
The book provides a roadmap to collaborative governance, provides insights through extensive research from India and abroad, throwing light on consensus building and collaborative action.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part describes the structures and systems of democracy and explains the vital role that consensus-building processes must play in democracies. The second part presents principles and tools for consensus building.
A hugely engaging and contemporary writing style, he combines theories and concepts with real incidents, analyzing their impact. He titles his chapters with interesting phrases like “the boundaries around people like us”; “ways of mass dialogue”, “Argumentative Indians and Americans” and ends it with “finding solutions, taking decisions, the toughest of the lot.”
Arun Maira is Chairman of the Boston Consulting Group in India and his work combines hands-on leadership and consulting experience of over 40 years.
Pakistan in a changing strategic context
Editors: Ajay Darshan Behera and Mathew Joseph C
Publisher: Knowledge World
Pages384
Price Rs 620 (Paperback)
Terrorist attacks of September 11 and resultant US reaction to terrorism has transformed the strategic environment in the SE Asian region. Pakistan, due to its geopolitical location and past policies has borne significant impact on its society, foreign policy and security.
The book attempts to establish an understanding of the evolving strategic environment and how Pakistan is placed within that context. Divided into four sections, it explores multiple views with one section exclusively devoted to an analysis of changes taking place within the strategic environment for Kashmir and Pakistan’s strategy to deal with Kashmir in the changing context.