Sixteen top-notch academicians, generals and young scholars were invited to discuss the topic 'American Withdrawal from Afghanistan in December 2014: Post-withdrawal Puzzle of Policy Options for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan' post-American withdrawal from Afghanistan scenario after December 2014 and puzzle of policy options for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Obviously, the US, Russia and China are compulsive players In the game. Bharat Kamad thinks that the new regime of Ghanl-Abdullah with a "sufficiently weakened" Taliban as a military force should help to consolidate democratic framework. An Afghan scholar, Mohammad Ata Roshangar sees democracy taking roots In his country with propelled by an urban educated class with improved conditions of health, life and economy economic, health and living conditions, this class has developing a vested Interest in the development and success of democracy ,and situation cannot be reversed any longer by Internal conflicts can no longer reverse this situation. Others like P.M. Kamath ask Pakistan to give up the futile pursuit of attaining strategic depth Inwlth Afghanistan; Tej Pratap Singh sees keeping India out from Afghanistan as the foremost strategic objective of Pakistan. Sudhlr Singh is not too far when he states that Pakistan's policy in Afghanistan has turned it a much hated country. Kavtta Sharma, Navshikha Duara, Amruta Deshmukh say Pakistan Is following zero-sum-game foreign policy in Afghanistan wherein any gain for India is treated as loss for Pakistan. Lt Gen. Kamath and Lt. Gen. Shekatkar with direct experience in the war theatre highlight perfidious role of Pakistan in promoting terror against Afghanistan and lay certain policy guidelines for India and the US to checkmate re-emergence of Taliban and Terrorism in Afghanistan. Arvind Kumar and Arpita Basu Roy strongly advocate a regional solution to the Afghan puzzle; Senior scholar R. G. Gldadhubll discusses come-back opportunity for Russia, while Subhadeep Bhattacharya delineates inroads made by China in Afghanistan. Dilip Mohite while looking at Afghanistan in the South Asian context, and B.N. Mehrlsh examines limited role of the UN. This book is a timely addition to the growing literature on current Afghanistan situation. It will be certainly very useful for policy-makers, academicians and the general public Interested in International Relations.
