Ram Madhav

Nervous States – Democracy and the Decline of Reason

Ram Madhav, May 4, 2020

Just completed this interesting book. Interesting because in a sophisticated manner it tries to suggest that once-a-holy-idea of democracy is no longer a truthful institution and post-truth influence is what drives global democratic politics today. This book is actually about the nervousness of the liberal intelligentsia over the prospects of democracies that they believed would […]

The 48 laws of Power

Ram Madhav, May 4, 2020

A very interesting book to read. ‘The 48 Laws of Power’. Some of the suggested laws are so much intriguing that one feels that they are against the Indian ethos. But then, these laws are not for common people, they are for leaders who want power. Although written from a Western or European perspective of […]

Delusional Politics

Ram Madhav, May 4, 2020

Interesting book by a diplomat-turned-politician, Minister in GoI Hardeep Singh Puri about the idiosyncratic decisions of leaders of countries like US, UK and India and how they affected domestic and global governance. Of particular interest could be chapters on Trump, Brexit and global governance. *** Edit job of Penguin Viking was below standard though

Victory has a Thousand Fathers – Sources of success in counter-insurgency

Ram Madhav, May 4, 2020

Interesting, but not extraordinary. This Rand research document discusses good and bad counterinsurgency or we may call it counterterrorism practices and derives conclusions that are educative to forces involved in CT operations. In all about 30 cases were taken for study. Having seen CT ops closely in Kashmir, AP, Chhattisgarh and North East, I can […]

The Misfit’s Manifesto (TED)

Ram Madhav, May 4, 2020

It is a different kind of book. ‘The Misfit’s Manifesto’ is a life story of the author, weaving into it the stories of several of her friends, who, starting off as misfits or different people, transformed their lives. Failed lives to fulfilling ones. It is not a book of psychiatry. It is rather a biography. […]

Kissinger the Negotiator – Lessons from Delamaking at the highest level

Ram Madhav, May 4, 2020

Henry Kissinger is rated as the best Secretary of State for the US in the last century. He is credited with path breaking negotiations with China, in West Asia n during the Vietnam War. This book analyses Kissinger’s negotiating skills and comes out with 15 lessons to be learnt. A good book to know what […]