Hardeep Singh Puri

Recent military interventions gone wrongIt was an exclusive lunch at a high-end Manhattan restaurant on 7 March 2011. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his A-team were present. It soon became clear that the main item on the menu was Libya, where it was alleged that the forces of Muammar Gaddafi were advancing on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to crush all opposition. Over an $80 per head lunch, a small group of the world's most important diplomats from countries represented on the Security Council discussed the possibility of the use of force. As things turned out, the Council's authorization came only ten days later, and all hell broke loose.Hardeep Singh Puri, India's envoy to the UN at the time, now reveals the Council's whimsical decision making and the ill-thought-out itch to intervene on the part of some of its permanent members. Perilous Interventions shows how some recent instances of the use of force -- not just in Libya but also in Syria, Yemen and Crimea, as well as India's misadventure in Sri Lanka in the 1980s -- have gone disastrously wrong.

'Looking out of my corner fourth-floor office with a full-frontal view, across First Avenue of the headquarters of the United Nations with the flags of the 193 member states fluttering majestically, I was reminded ever so often of what Bertrand Russell 'The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.'Many democratically elected leaders of the twenty-first century have displayed streaks of recklessness, megalomania, bizarre self-obsession and political views that are difficult to characterize. This book studies the actions of these contemporary political leaders and covers Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the rise of the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and decision-making with respect to global governance, terrorism and trade. It brings to light the fact that at the heart of delusional politics is perhaps the delusional politician.

One motivation, though by no means the only one, to compile my articles was to showcase how India's governance has evolved from the time I started writing in 2013. The last years of the UPA 2 government were characterised by a sense of despondency in decision-making. India's image across the world was of a nation beleaguered by corruption. Cut to 2019, India is among the fastest growing economies in the world. Multilateral institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and rating agencies such as Standard & Poor's and Moody's are holding India up as the template for economic growth and good governance. Having spent over four decades in the world of diplomacy, Hardeep Singh Puri has had a ringside view of major developments both within India and the outside world. After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2013, the author decided to share his experience with the public at large through columns on a range of public policy issues that impact the lives of the average Indian citizen. Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: Decoding Dominant Narratives is a compilation of some of his writings from the period 2013–18 and each article in the eight chapters gives an incisive account of the subject at hand. It reflects the author's unique writing style—he is not known for mincing his words and doesn't hesitate in calling a spade a spade. HARDEEP SINGH PURI has had a distinguished four-decade career in diplomacy. A 1974-batch Indian Foreign Service Officer, Puri served as Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Geneva (2002-2005) and New York (2009-2013). He was Ambassador to Brazil (2006-2008) and Deputy Chief of Mission to the UK (1999-2002) besides holding diplomatic posts in Japan and Sri Lanka. He is presently Minister with Independent Charge for Housing & Urban Affairs, and Civil Aviation, and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. He has also authored two books, Delusional Politics and Perilous Interventions.

A critical analysis of dominant narratives in society and how they influence perceptions of truth, culture, and history.