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One of the standout features of Pant’s work is its deliberate effort to move beyond the traditional Western-centric narratives of IR. While he engages thoroughly with realism, liberalism, and constructivism, Pant emphasizes the need to incorporate perspectives from the Global South. He critiques the dominance of American and European scholarship in defining concepts like “security,” “sovereignty,” and “order.” Instead, he introduces readers to non-Western viewpoints, including India’s strategic culture, Panchsheel, and the legacy of the Non-Aligned Movement. This theoretical pluralism makes his book particularly valuable for students in developing countries.

Unlike Western-authored texts, Pant’s work prioritizes India’s national interests and its neighborhood first policy.

Unlike traditional textbooks that focus exclusively on states, Pant dedicates significant space to non-state actors: multinational corporations (MNCs), terrorist networks (e.g., Al-Qaeda, ISIS), NGOs, and transnational social movements. He argues that issues like global terrorism, cyber warfare, and pandemics cannot be understood without accounting for these actors. For instance, the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror fundamentally altered how states perceive sovereignty and preemptive action.

It moves beyond a mere listing of facts to provide an analytical framework for understanding why countries act the way they do.

International Relations in the 21st Century Prof. Pushpesh Pant

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