Bookshelf

Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order

Ray Dalio

Dalio studies the rise and fall of reserve currencies and economic systems over 500 years of history. The core argument — that the US is at a late-stage debt cycle similar to previous great powers before their decline — is both unsettling and fascinating. He traces how the same confluence of conditions: massive debt, political polarisation, and a rising challenger power, has preceded every major imperial transition in the past five centuries. Essential reading for anyone thinking seriously about global economics and geopolitics.

A Song of Ice and Fire

George R.R. Martin

The series that made fantasy feel like political science. Martin's world is a masterclass in how power and consequence actually work — far more honest about human nature than most non-fiction. No character is purely good or evil; everyone is navigating incentives and the constraints of the institutions around them. The politics of Westeros have genuinely taught me much about how power corrupts and how alliances form and fracture. Chaos is a ladder.

The Policy Pivot

Ajay Khanna & Rahul Sharma

Published to mark eighteen years of the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), this is a collection of 25 essays from leading voices across Indian business, government, academia, and civil society. Contributors examine the shifting dynamics of India's policy ecosystem — where governance is becoming more participatory and public affairs more central to democratic accountability. A timely and insightful read given my own work at the intersection of policy and finance. The essay on engaging India's youth in policymaking is particularly relevant.