Former American President Bill Clinton referred to Kashmir as the most dangerous place on earth. In 1999 nuclear-armed powers India and Pakistan fought a war over Kashmir, and again in 2002 they came close to another. The Kashmir dispute represents one of the world s oldest and most intractable conflicts, having befuddled policymakers since the Partition of the subcontinent in 1947. Author Arvin Bahl attempts to analyze this conflict in the context of international relations theory, drawing on a variety of sources, including interviews with leading figures of the Indian and Pakistani establishments.
Bahl argues that the question of the Kashmir dispute is really the question of why the liberation of the Kashmir Valley from Indian rule has been a foremost Pakistani national interest since the Partition. Realism, the dominant theory of international relations, argues that regardless of era, region, ideology or domestic politics, states will behave in the same ways when faced with similar situations in the international system, namely they will try to maximize the state s interests. Yet, Pakistan s quest for control of the Kashmir Valley represents a case in which a country s foreign policy cannot be explained by realism, and realism s main assumption of the state as a rational actor appears to be violated. The Kashmir Valley has little strategic importance to Pakistan, Pakistan has almost no chance of obtaining it against a much stronger power that dismembered it in a previous war and its economy is being destroyed by military confrontation with India, which also threatens its security.
This study attempts to explain the puzzle of Pakistan s seemingly irrational policy behavior on Kashmir by developing a framework combining liberal and constructivist approaches. Constructivists emphasize the importance of ideas, ideologies and identities when observing how states behave. The ideology that Pakistan was founded on, the two-nation theory, makes ending Indian rule over the Kashmir Valley of utmost national interest. For Pakistan to concede that a Muslim majority region that is contiguous with it can be a part of India would be for Pakistan to accept that there was no need for the Partition of the subcontinent along religious lines and the creation of Pakistan in the first place. Liberals focus on understanding domestic politics in order to understand a country s actions in the international system. The Pakistani military, the country s most powerful institution since its formation, has used the conflict with India to bring about and legitimize its dominance of the country.
South Asia gained prominence in American foreign policy after the 9/11 attacks and the standoff that ensued between India and Pakistan in early 2002. Thus, this study concludes with policy recommendations, primarily to American policymakers, for dealing with Pakistan and Kashmir based on the analysis developed in the preceding chapters. This book, we hope, is an eye-opener for all general readers. It will be found immensely useful and informative by students, researchers and teachers of History, Political Science, International Relations and South Asian Studies.

From Jinnah to Jihad : Pakistan's Kashmir Quest and the Limits of Realism

Arvin Bahl

Atlantic Publishers and Distributors (P) Ltd.

Ore Geology Economic Minerals and Mineral Economics 2 Vols.

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Terrorism is the systematic use of terror or unpredictable violence against governments, public or individuals to attain a political objective. It evolved from numerous attacks in the 20th century, to comparatively less frequent but more destractive assaults in the 21st century. The book does not go into any micro-level data, stating names of countries, political groups, individuals, or religions as name calling in terms of political, national, and religious affiliations does not necessarily help critical thinking. Instead, it objectively and conceptually examines the problems or issues related to serious forms of violence. It provides an impartial and objective outlook by completely avoiding any discussions in any emotionally charged manner or sensationalism. The focus is on types or forms, general impacts, explanations, and preventive measures of violence, without appeasing or insulting particular vested interests, if any. By concentrating on conceptual analysis of the terrorist phenomena, the book enables readers to look at a bigger picture , examining the issues involved, instead of resorting to incidental enumerations, etc. There is no easy understanding of a complex situation of terrorism; no easy answers to many questions puzzling us about the issue over the years; no oversimplification of conclusions we may arrive at; and no hasty decisions on the so-called solutions. The book attempts to address the problems related to terrorism and discusses various options for prevention. It is simple and straightforward in approach and avoids technical jargon, so that it is easily comprehensible to academic readers in humanities, social and hard sciences, as well as to general readers. The approach of the book is to study violence in both realistic and constructive ways. We need to be preventive and optimistic in dealing with all sorts of violence in human society. A doom and gloom approach has not been pursued in this book despite an increase in new forms of violence. It presents no popular formulas for solving problems of violence and terrorism but provides the readers a glimpse of what the issues or human problems are, what some of their consequences are, and what selected possible preventive strategies could be. The book touches upon almost every aspect related to terrorism. It will be useful for policymakers, administrators, those concerned with maintaining law and order in society, security personnel, etc. It will also benefit the students, teachers and researchers in sociology and law and criminology, particularly terrorism. To those who wish to know about various issues related to terrorism and the measures to prevent and combat terrorism, it will provide for a richly rewarding reading.

Terrorism : Its Global Overview, Explanation, and Prevention

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R.N. Singh

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P. Sojan Lal

The Atlantic Literary Review,Volume 19 Number 1,january-march 2018: Volume 19 Number 1

Sunita Sinha

Swami Vivekananda: The Complete Biography (MULTI VOL SETS-4)

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Educational Philosophy of MADAN MOHAN MALAVIYA

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The Indian Constitution and Social Revolution: Right to Property Since Independence

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