Deadly Impasse
Indo-Pakistani Relations at the Dawn of a New Century

Evaluating state relations from 1999 to 2009, Deadly Impasse seeks to explore what ails the Indo-Pakistani relationship and perpetuates the enduring rivalry.

Sumit Ganguly (Author)

9780521763615, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 31 March 2016

184 pages, 2 maps 6 tables
22.3 x 14.4 x 1.5 cm, 0.34 kg

'Deadly Impasse is a welcome addition to the literature on modern South Asian relations. It goes beyond analyses that privilege security-based explanations for the ongoing tension to encompass Pakistan and India's respective self-image, the role of political division and intransigence, the impact of domestic economic crises, and the shadow of 'the bomb'. The argument is clear and founded in an impressive command of the evidence and shrewd analysis of it. Sumit Ganguly's timely volume aids our understanding of a hugely significant and long-lasting regional confrontation that has potentially global consequences. It is to be hoped that policymakers as well as scholars pay close attention to his perceptive thoughts and recommendations on the matter.' Malcolm M. Craig, H-Net

What ails the Indo-Pakistani relationship? Rivalry between the two states has persisted since the partition of the British Indian Empire in 1947, and despite negotiations, four wars and multiple crises, India and Pakistan remain locked in a long-standing dispute. Evaluating relations from 1999 through to 2009, Sumit Ganguly seeks to understand this troubled relationship and why efforts at peace-making and conflict resolution, which have included unilateral Indian concessions, have not been more fruitful. Charting key sources of tension throughout the decade, including the origins and outcomes of the Kargil War in 1999, developments in the Indian-controlled portion of the state of Kashmir, the attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001 and the onset of the 2001–2 crisis, Deadly Impasse sets out to discover whether the roots of this hostile relationship stem from security dilemmas or reflect the dynamics between a status quo power and a predatory state.

1. The rivaly revisited
2. Kargil and after
3. The troubled decade in Kashmir
4. The road to Operation Parakram
5. The composite dialogue and beyond
6. An extension of the rivalry
7. Policy implications
Appendices
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]