FOREWORD

      In this monograph I have touched only the fringe of a very complex but important topic which is a significant development of current political thought. Apart from the sensational claims advanced on behalf of geopolitics, there are some elements of enduring value in it and the statesman and administrators cannot afford to ignore the harsh facts of political geography and geopolitics. In India the immediate interest has centred round the problem of winning independence and preserving political unity. But India cannot afford to be indifferent to the wider questions of an international world order and of the possibility of an Indian Supra-National Union. Therefore in the light of Indian tradition and history, it is pointed out that India’s natural affinity is with those eastern countries which once were a part of her cultural empire. It may be objected that no clear picture has been presented here. It is partly due to the lack of adequate data and this shortcoming can be removed only by a thorough investigation of all the relevant economic, social and political factors by an Indian Geopolitical Institute. Meanwhile this is presented as a tentative sketch for serious consideration at the hands of all the patriots and well wishers of India and the East.

Mysore

August, 1943                                                                       S. Srikanta Sastri