The international politics of South Asia /

Hewitt's superb little study of South Asian international politics focuses squarely on the international system of South Asia and its relationship to the international setting. More comparative than descriptive and drawing heavily from Commonwealth and Indian sources, the work includes ample American periodical material, if not the full complement of books. There are no individual country studies, but all countries are discussed under the principal headings bilateral relations, the international setting, domestic politics, South Asia and the world economy, and future prospects for regional stability and disarmament. The text includes events through the summer of 1991, with the epilogue updating the narrative through November 1991. Hewitt focuses not only on intellectual and development issues, but policy trends as well. His descriptions of US-India and US-Pakistan relations are excellent. He identifies and analyzes the principal issues on the subcontinent economic development, intercommunal strife, and the problems inherent in the South Asian security system. His ample use of comparative material on the minor states (e.g., Nepal and the Maldives) places them squarely within the regional context. Although the book is primarily suitable for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students, the clarity of Hewitt's writing recommends it for advanced general audiences and study groups. J. D. Stempel; University of Kentucky