Fearful Symmetry: India-pakistan Crises In The Shadow Of Nuclear Weapons

With the nuclearization of the Indiansubcontinent, Indo-Pakistani crisis behaviour has acquired a different significance altogether. The past two decades have witnessed no fewer than six crises, with a vigorous nuclear arms, race as the backdrop all the while. However, all but one of these six-the Kargil war of 1998-9-were resolved peacefully. What lies behind the avoidance of a major war in spite of every reason for one-mistrust' everyday tensions; an intractable political conflict over Kashmir three wars; and the steady refinement of each side's nuclear capabilities? This book examines this question by looking carefully at each crisis for behavrioural patterns that may otherwise have been missed.
About Author :
Sumit Ganguly is Professof Political Science and Rabindranath Tagore Chair of Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University, Bloomington. Devin T.Hagerty is Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore county.
Contents :
Preface Introduction wars Without End? 1984 India, Pakistan and Preventive War Fears Threat Perceptions, Military Modernizations, and a Crisis The 1990 Kashmir Crisis Out of the Closet The 1998 Nuclear Tests Crisis The Road to Kargil The 2001-2 Indo-Pakistani Crisis Exposing the Limits of Coercive Dilomacy Lessons, Implications, and Policy Suggestions Index