How nations shape their image

Book review of The Ultimate Goal: A Former R&AW Chief Deconstructs How Nations Construct Narratives

When a book comes from the pen of a top intelligence officer of the stature of Vikram Sood, it is natural to expect him to approach the narratives he analyses with a pinch of salt. A careful reading of the book is revealing. With all humility and modesty the author does not claim to break new ground, but what he does is no less praiseworthy. He connects the dots and scrutinises the optics of the narratives so assiduously constructed by states and reinforced by media and academia. The ambit of his analyses is the major countries, including US, China, Russia