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IN its in-depth analysis of the developments that gave rise to empires, civilisations and nations, and the role played therein by great leaders of the world, Invincibility, Challenges and Leadership is a unique book. General Krishna Rao has covered a very wide canvas in his research and then used his knowledge and professional military and civil experience to write about several defining moments of history, the emergence of great leaders of that period, the challenges they handled under critical and complex situations, and the consequences of their intervention. He then goes on to discuss future challenges, emphasising the need to learn from the past so that mistakes are not repeated. He underlines the historical fact that in most crisis situations, political and military leaders have affected nations and their future. The nations which did not understand the very close connection between political and military spheres, or neglected it, ultimately met with disaster. Effective diplomacy, economic progress and internal stability always need the backing of appropriate military strength, and its deterrent and response value.
His study of two World Wars and other major wars, including the 1971 Indo-Pak War in which he participated as a Division Commander, makes him believe that "power is an irresistible allurement but in the larger interests of the people at large, has to be strictly controlled". He recommends that war on two fronts must be avoided and that close cooperation and coordination between the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as between the civil and military authorities are of vital importance. Also, "a supreme commander controlling the three services, as in the Second World War, is a great asset". The third part of the book briefly covers the life sketches and contribution of great political and military leaders of the world, starting with George Washington and ending with General Giap of Vietnam. In the last part, the author analyses characteristics that made nations and leaders great, and the likely challenges to be met in future. Each characteristic is described and exemples of actions of several leaders are given. For example, George Washington displayed "firm will power" in defeating colonial masters and then laying solid democratic foundations for his country. Sardar Patel is credited with being a "visionary" in forging the unity and integrity of India by making 565 princely states join the Indian Union. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru are included with those who displayed "outstanding moral character". On future challenges, his arguments support US President Barack Obama who during the Nobel Award ceremony stated that "violent conflicts would not be eradicated in our life times and nations would need to fight just wars". Invincibility, Challenges
and Leadership is an absorbing
book for those interested in learning what makes nations and leaders
great. The author has donated the royalty proceeds of this book to the
Army Central Welfare Fund.
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In the first part of the
book, after briefly covering ancient civilisations, middle ages and
modern nations, the author sums up the essentials that enabled their
rise and fall. The essentials highlighted with examples for the
"rise" are national unity and stability, economic strength,
progress in science and technology. His two very relevant
comments are: "While economic development is necessary, effective
military strength is even more essential to survive and progress"
and "Corruption, indiscipline, divisive activities and oppression
destroy the confidence of the people". According to him, ethnic
differences, racial hegemony, class conflicts, religious intolerance and
bad governance weaken the nations and make them vulnerable to
exploitation by adversaries. The conclusion in this part is: "So,
empires either arose or declined generally due to availability and use
of force, or otherwise."