‘Covert’ – Psychology of War and Peace by AS Dulat, Gen Asad Durrani and Neil K. Aggarwal, is a series of conversations on the psychology of war and peace. The book takes you into the headspace of the two spymasters who are delving down into their personal and professional trajectories that have moulded them in the early years.
The discussion in the book is distinctively led by Aggarwal who turns to the realm of international relations, exploring why the governments of India and Pakistan collaborate in certain areas, but not in others.
The book also reveals a deep camaraderie between Dulat and Durrani, who have headed the intelligence agencies for their respective countries. But most importantly, it gives a deep understanding of the murky world of negotiation and subterfuge. The book is an eye-opener and a must-read for anyone who wants to read about peace and harmony in South Asia.
Published by HarperCollins, ‘Covert’ by A.S. Dulat, Asad Durrani and Neil K. Aggarwal will be released on 16 May on SoftCover, ThePrint’s online venue to launch non-fiction books.
Amarjit Singh Dulat is a former head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency. After retirement, he was appointed as the advisor on Kashmir in the Prime Minister’s Office and served there from January 2001 to May 2004. He is the author of Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years (2015; co-authored with Aditya Sinha), The Spy Chronicles: R&AW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace (2018; co-authored with Lieutenant General Asad Durrani and Aditya Sinha) and A Life in the Shadows (2022).
Lieutenant General Asad Durrani is a former director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate of Pakistan. He is the author of The Spy Chronicles: R&AW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace (2018; co-authored with A.S. Dulat and Aditya Sinha) and Honour Among Spies (2020).
Neil Krishan Aggarwal is a psychiatrist and social scientist at Columbia University. He does research on and teaches the psychology of cross-cultural conflicts, negotiation and peacemaking. He writes on how Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs view themselves and each other’s communities. Covert is his fifth book.
Udayan Mitra, Executive Publisher of the HarperCollins said, “Circumstances have prevented Mr Dulat and Gen Durrani from meeting in person for years. But aided by the technology of video conferencing, in Covert, they speak to a masterful interlocutor, Neil K. Aggarwal, about India and Pakistan, about what holds the two nations together and what tears them apart, and the psychology behind it all”.
Further while praising the book he mentioned that it is frank, incisive and engaging. A book that is relevant for people who are future-thinking citizens of the subcontinent.
The book discusses case studies on how we as individuals become Indians and Pakstanis, why making peace can be as hard as war and also delves into doing an honest assessment of future peacemaking.
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