The Cold War in South Asia provides the first comprehensive and transnational history of Anglo-American relations with South Asia during a seminal period in the history of the Indian Subcontinent, between independence in the late 1940s, and the height of the Cold War in the late 1960s. Drawing upon significant new evidence from British, American, Indian and Eastern bloc archives, the book re-examines how and why the Cold War in South Asia evolved in the way that it did, at a time when the national leaderships, geopolitical outlooks and regional aspirations of India, Pakistan and their superpower suitors were in a state of considerable flux. The book probes the factors which encouraged the governments of Britain and the United States to work so closely together in South Asia during the two decades after independence, and suggests what benefits, if any, Anglo-American intervention in South Asia's affairs delivered, and to whom.

'McGarr has crafted a superb international history. [He] tracks not only the rise and fall of Anglo-American influence in South Asia during the first two decades after Independence and Partition until the end of the 1960s, but, just as importantly, he provides a broad assessment of the regional policies of India, Pakistan, the Soviet Union, and China … [He] has done an extraordinary job of constructing an international narrative by conducting rigorous multi-archival research in several countries. This is no mean feat, especially given the difficulties of using archives in India and Pakistan … The Cold War in South Asia should be required reading for anyone interested not only in South Asia, but also the global Cold War.'

Eric Pullin Source: H-Diplo

'It is hard not to applaud The Cold War in South Asia. There is hardly a question - hardly a document - about UK-U.S. relations within the context of South Asia policy that is not accounted for in this book. American presidents and British prime ministers, as well as their foreign secretaries, ambassadors and security advisers brilliantly come to life as they interact with the top leadership in Pakistan and India … There is no doubt that scholars interested in South Asia will take recourse to this book. Even decades from now they will find a meticulously produced gold mine of information.'

Markus Daechsel Source: H-Diplo

'McGarr sheds new light on British attitudes and approaches toward the subcontinent, as well as on Anglo-American collaboration and competitiveness … [He] does all this in a book that is well written, with a style that keeps the reader engaged … There is a lot to recommend in this book. It will make a valuable addition to the bookshelves of not just scholars, but also policymakers who continue to grapple with the subject of influence and of how to work with their allies and partners in third countries.'

Tanvi Madan Source: H-Diplo Roundtable Reviews

'Paul McGarr’s exhaustively researched and clearly argued account of Cold War diplomacy in South Asia is a welcome addition to the growing historical literature in this area … Readers of McGarr’s work will certainly be struck by some aspects of this history that seem to have recurred today … [this] book is praiseworthy not only for its reconstruction of this complicated diplomacy but also for its admonitory judgment about the limits and realities of power politics and state relationships in South Asia even today.'

Andrew Muldoon Source: Journal of British Studies

'A welcome addition to a body of literature that for one reason or another escapes the imagination and scrutiny of contemporary historians.'

Source: History Today

'McGarr’s The Cold War in South Asia provides rich evidence, strong arguments, and compelling insights about Anglo-American policy in South Asia; it is, in short, a new standard in the field.'

David C. Engerman Source: Journal of American Studies

'Excellent use is made of private papers accessed in India, Britain and the United States, as well as of government records in order to construct McGarr’s authoritative and closely argued narrative. … McGarr’s volume is an important addition to scholarly appreciation of the relationship of India and Pakistan with the international community in the two decades which followed independence.'

Ian Talbot Source: Diplomacy and Statecraft