ENDURING DILEMMA Flashpoints in Kashmir and India-Pakistan Relations

K. M. Seethi

With the state of Jammu and Kashmir being pushed to a melting pot in 2019, India-Pakistan relations entered a new phase of unrelenting hostility. The book unfolds this trajectory of built-in antagonism inherited from history with fresh insights and sharp analysis. Based on a vast array of historical documents and primary sources, Enduring Dilemma: Flashpoints in Kashmir and India-Pakistan Relations puts across perceptive arguments and critical analysis that will inspire both academics and policymakers. It places perceptions of human security as critical realm of social engagements and policy intervention.

K. M. Seethi is currently Director, Inter-University Centre for Social Science Research and Extension (IUCSSRE), Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), Kerala, India. With more than 35 years of teaching and research in International Relations, Seethi served as Dean of Social Sciences, Professor and Director, School of International Relations and Politics, Honorary Director, KN Raj Centre, Director of Research, Coordinator, KPS Menon Chair for Diplomatic Studies and several other positions in MGU.

He was also the Editor of South Asian Journal of Diplomacy, Indian Journal of Politics and International Relations, and Journal of Political Economy and Fiscal Federalism. His books include, The Arab World in Transition: Beyond and Beneath the ‘Arab Spring’ (GSC), Engaging Beyond Borders: India and China in Regions (GSC), Endless Sorrows: Endosulfan and Endangered Human Security in Kerala (IUCSSRE/DPP), Development Rebound: Challenges in Kerala’s Development Scenario (Raspberry), State and Civil Society under Siege (co-author, Sage), Engaging with the World: Critical Reflections on India’s Foreign Policy (co-editor, Orient Longman/Orient BlackSwan), Coastal Security: Needed A New Look (KPS Menon Chair), etc.

He has also written more than 295 research articles/features/commentaries/reviews in journals such as Economic and Political Weekly, Millennium: Journal of International Affairs, Indian Journal of Political Science, South Asian Journal of Diplomacy, Indian Journal of Politics and International Relations, Indian Journal of Secularism, Mainstream, Radical Humanist, The Hindu, The Economic Times, The New Indian Express, Deccan Chronicle, The Week, Open and online journals such as The Diplomat, Policy Circle, Countercurrents, Global Research, Madras Courier, Global South Colloquy, et al.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Why Partition?
2. The Making of New Nations
3. The Making of Kashmir Question
4. Changing Matrix of Security
5. Geopolitical Shift
6. Flashpoints in Kashmir

Appendices

I: Kashmir in a Dense Cauldron of Uncertainty
II: Kashmir: Back to Square One?
III: Unlocking the India-Pakistan Dilemma
IV: Balakot Air Strikes: Diplomatic and Strategic Fallouts

Bibliography