March 07, 2019
The Latest India-Pakistan Standoff Raises the Stakes for Future Crises
It is far from the first flare-up between India and Pakistan in recent years along the Line of Control, the de facto border in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir. But the still-unfolding crisis there, which was sparked by a suicide bombing last month that killed 40 Indian soldiers in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, points to troubling new trend lines in how future conflicts could unfold between these nuclear-armed neighbors.
Every recent crisis—from the Kargil War in 1999 and the so-called Twin Peaks incident in 2001 to the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai and India’s 2016 “surgical strikes” on Pakistan—began with a provocation emanating from the Pakistani side that was, to varying degrees, attributable to its government or military. In the latest standoff, the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the car bombing in Kashmir; its leader allegedly ordered the attack from a Pakistani army military hospital where he is receiving palliative care. In the aftermath of such provocations, Indian leaders have always faced difficult choices about how to respond without triggering a dangerous military escalation that could ultimately result in the use of nuclear weapons.
Read the full article in World Politics Review.
More from CNAS
-
Trump's Tariff Threat vs. Modi's 'No Compromise' On Farmers
Video
Tensions escalate in the U.S.-India relationship over President Trump's threat of additional tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has firm...
By Lisa Curtis
-
'India-U.S. Ties Right Now Example Of How Not To Handle Situation': Lisa Curtis
Video
While speaking to NDTV, Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director at the Center for a New American Security says, "The India-U.S. ties right now are a textbook example of how no...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Video
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
Trump Hits India with 25% TariffThere have been signs of trouble in the U.S.-India talks, according to a Lisa Curtis from the Center for a New American Security, joining Bloomberg TV, including the U.S. want...
By Lisa Curtis
-
How China is Beating India in Its Own Backyard
Video
India and China are locked in a high-stakes struggle for influence in the Indian Ocean. Control over tiny islands could choke global trade and reshape regional power. Lisa Cur...
By Lisa Curtis
