There is a widespread perception amongst the intelligentsia that India lacks strategic culture. In our view, the deficiency if any perhaps lies in our reluctance to articulate our perceptions on strategic issues, as also to formulate a long-term strategic view. As the oldest think tank in Asia, USI decided to address the above issue and how we could contribute to the evolution and dissemination of strategic thought on challenges facing the Nation. To this end, for the last three years, USI has continuously published three 'Strategic Year Books”, which have been widely received and appreciated for its quality and contents.
This current issue of the Year Book contains series of articles by eminent experts on various aspects of National Security; National Security Overview, Internal Security Environment, Pakistan-China Strategic Challenge, India's Strategic Neighbourhood, and National Security Capacity Building. The aim is to provide a strategic perspective, which will create awareness and also help the policymakers in giving a strategic direction for India to transform into a developed society and a secured nation. We hope that readers will find this publication useful and interesting. We would welcome suggestions for improvement of subsequent issues.