Author: Verghese Koithara
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 315
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0761932623
Description
In this timely and topical book, the author argues that perceptions and emotions are the prime drivers behind the India-Pakistan conflict. In today's context, he maintains, the structure of the conflict is more resolvable than how it is commonly portrayed. Neither country has a need-in security, resource and internal coherence terms-for the part of J & K that is with the other country. To recognize this, however, the conflict needs to be analysed in terms of the true clash of interest of the parties, painting out the clutter of legal and ideological arguments.
Protracted, violent conflicts elsewhere can provide a useful perspective to understand how conflict dynamics work and how conflict conclusion can be more realistically sought through a peace rather than a war strategy. The conflicts of Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka and Israel-Palestine have been analysed with this in view. Northern Ireland provides an illuminating example of using a well-crafted internal settlement to end a wider conflict. A study of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is useful to understand how very different are the structures of the two conflicts and how much more tractable the India-Pakistan conflict is.
The book presents reasons why Pakistan, and its army, can be induced to accept a final settlement along the LoC, provided it is made part of a broader deal that accords substantial autonomy to both sides of the new border. Also why such a deal shall not pose a risk to the security-internal and external-of either country. The LoC-in-border deal lies within amicable reach, but it calls for vision, flexibility ad strategy to arrive at it.
Presenting a completely new perspective on the Kashmir conflict, this book will attract a wide readership among scholars, journalists, policy-makers and anyone interested in the Kashmir issue.
Contents
List of Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction
The India-Pakistan Conflict
The Problem of Kashmir's Discontented
Conflict Drivers
Nuclear Danger
Kashmir and the Outside World
Insights From Northern Ireland
Pointers From Sri Lanka
Reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Moving From Conflict to Peace
Creating A Peace Path in Kashmir
Select Bibliography
Index
About the Author