“Pradeep P. Barua’s book fills a gap in the existing literature on war, politics, and state-building on the subcontinent. . . . His contribution lies in his extraordinary ability to synthesize knowledge from disparate areas of historical scholarship and show, to borrow Charles Tilly’s language, how the state made ware and war made the state in South Asia.”—Sumit Ganguly, American Historical Review
“An interesting history of war and society in the Indian subcontinent from ancient times to the present, which takes issue with the Hansen thesis that the ‘Western Way of War’ is more violent and decisive than anyone else’s, and is critical of some traditional views of ancient Indian history. . . . The State at War in South Asia is likely to be of value to anyone with a general interest in military history or to the more serious student of warfare in the region.”—The NYMAS Review, a publication of the New York Military Affairs Symposium
"The State at War in South Asia offers a timely, ambitious, and occasionally provocative account of the interplay between political and military developments in the Indian subcontinent over the past four millennia."—Douglas M. Peers, Journal of Military History
“This book is an excellent inauguration—not the culmination—of a research programme that seeks to analyse the operational art of war in a region that has not received much scholarly attention and will be the starting point for any future discussion of the effectiveness of Indian military forces in comparative perspective.”—Ashley J. Tellis, International History Review (Canada)