Asymmetric Warfare in South Asia
The Causes and Consequences of the Kargil Conflict

A unique account of military conflict under the shadow of nuclear escalation, with access to the soldiers and politicians involved.

Peter R. Lavoy (Edited by)

9780521767217, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 November 2009

426 pages, 6 maps 6 tables
23.4 x 16 x 2.5 cm, 0.81 kg

'… the book has much depth, and will be useful for students, academics and policy-makers interested in South Asian issues … Asymmetric Warfare in South Asia is a comprehensive independent research study that offers rigorous analysis of primary source interviews.' Punam Pandey, Contemporary South Asia

The 1999 conflict between India and Pakistan near the town of Kargil in contested Kashmir was the first military clash between two nuclear-armed powers since the 1969 Sino-Soviet war. Kargil was a landmark event not because of its duration or casualties, but because it contained a very real risk of nuclear escalation. Until the Kargil conflict, academic and policy debates over nuclear deterrence and proliferation occurred largely on the theoretical level. This deep analysis of the conflict offers scholars and policymakers a rare account of how nuclear-armed states interact during military crisis. Written by analysts from India, Pakistan, and the United States, this unique book draws extensively on primary sources, including unprecedented access to Indian, Pakistani, and U.S. government officials and military officers who were actively involved in the conflict. This is the first rigorous and objective account of the causes, conduct, and consequences of the Kargil conflict.

1. Introduction: the importance of the Kargil conflict Peter R. Lavoy
Part I. Causes and Conduct of the Conflict: 2. The strategic context of the Kargil conflict: a Pakistani perspective Zafar Iqbal Cheema
3. Pakistan's motivations and calculations for the Kargil conflict Feroz Hassan Khan, Peter R. Lavoy and Christopher Clary
4. Military operations in the Kargil conflict John H. Gill
5. American diplomacy and the 1999 Kargil Summit at Blair House Bruce Riedel
6. Kargil: the nuclear dimension Timothy D. Hoyt
7. Why Kargil did not produce general war: the crisis-management strategies of Pakistan, India, and the United States Peter R. Lavoy
Part II: Consequences and Impact of the Conflict: 8. Surprise at the top of the world: India's systemic and intelligence failure James J. Wirtz and Surinder Rana
9. Militants in the Kargil conflict: myths, realities, and impacts C. Christine Fair
10. The impact of the Kargil conflict and Kashmir on Indian politics and society Praveen Swami
11. The Kargil conflict's impact on Pakistani politics and society Saeed Shafqat
Part III. Lessons Learned: 12. The lessons of Kargil as learned by India Rajesh M. Basrur
13. The lessons of Kargil as learned by Pakistan Hasan-Askari Rizvi
14. The Kargil crisis: lessons learned by the United States Rodney W. Jones and Joseph McMillan
15. Kargil, deterrence, and international relations theory Robert Jervis.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS], Military history [HBW], Asian history [HBJF]