Brahma Chellaney winner of Asia book award

India's leading strategic thinker and analyst Brahma Chellaney has won the 2012 Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Book Award for his book called 'Water: Asia's New Battleground'.

Chellaney will presented with a US$20,000 prize at a special ceremony at Asia Society's headquarters in New York City on Jan 23 next year, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

Established in 2009, the book award is the only award that recognises non-fiction books for their outstanding contributions to the understanding of contemporary Asia or US-Asia relations, and potential policy impacts relating to the region.

'Water: Asia's New Battleground' was selected from among 90 nominations submitted by US and Asia-based publishers for books published in 2011.

"This timely, comprehensive and forward-looking book makes the compelling case that water will likely emerge as one of Asia's largest security challenges in the 21st century," said Tommy T B Koh, Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large.

Tommy T B Koh, one of members on the judging panel.

"The equitable and sustainable management of Asia's great river systems should be a priority on the global agenda," he said.

Suzanne DiMaggio, vice president of Asia Society's Global Policy Programmes, said: "'Water: Asia's New Battleground' underscores the importance of water as a means of security at multiple levels in Asia.

"Policymakers need to look at this vital resource in a way that takes into account the complex national security and development issues countries and communities will face as water scarcity in the region intensifies."

Two Honourable mentions were also chosen for the award: 'Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China' by Ezra Vogel, and 'Cambodia's Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land' by Joel Brinkley.

Previous years' winners of the book award include Richard McGregor for 'The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers' and James C Scott for 'The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia'.