Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace

by Sumantra Bose

In 2002, nuclear-armed adversaries India and Pakistan mobilized for war over the long-disputed territory of Kashmir, sparking panic around the world. Drawing on extensive firsthand experience in the contested region, Sumantra Bose reveals how the conflict became a grave threat to South Asia and the world and suggests feasible steps toward peace.

Though the roots of conflict lie in the end of empire and the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, the contemporary problem owes more to subsequent developments, particularly the severe authoritarianism of Indian rule. Deadly dimensions have been added since 1990 with the rise of a Kashmiri independence movement and guerrilla war waged by Islamist groups. Bose explains the intricate mix of regional, ethnic, linguistic, religious, and caste communities that populate Kashmir, and emphasizes that a viable framework for peace must take into account the sovereignty concerns of India and Pakistan and popular aspirations to self-rule as well as conflicting loyalties within Kashmir. He calls for the establishment of inclusive, representative political structures in Indian Kashmir, and cross-border links between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir. Bose also invokes compelling comparisons to other cases, particularly the peace-building framework in Northern Ireland, which offers important lessons for a settlement in Kashmir.

The Western world has not fully appreciated the desperate tragedy of between 1989 and 2003 violence claimed up to 80,000 lives. Informative, balanced, and accessible, Kashmir is vital reading for anyone wishing to understand one of the world's most dangerous conflicts.

Genres: India, History, Nonfiction, Politics

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2003

About the author

Sumantra Bose is an Indian politician scientist and professor of international and comparative politics at the London School of Economics. He specialises in the study of ethnic and national conflicts and their management, with a particular focus on the Indian subcontinent and the former Yugoslavia.

Reviews

[Lydia]

A thorough, detailed examination of the roots of the conflict in Kashmir. The writing is somewhat dry, but as the book is a historical and political examination from the perspective of a researcher of comparative politics, that is not a huge surprise. Bose painstakingly picks apart the political machinations of India in the conflict over Kashmir, and suggests a plausible way to move forward to resolve this fifty+ year old powder keg in the Himalaya.

[Arin Goswami]

A really good history of the several complexities of the problems caused by the British, India, and Pakistan in the Kashmir region - the author calls this a layered Russian matryoshka doll problem/situation.

The paths to peace outlined seem reasonable at face value once put into the context of the crisis outlined and citing historical precedent, but with Kashmir, I think it's hard to outline a path forward with any kind of real certainty.

[Ashok Kumar Pandey]

A must must must read!

[Godhuli B]

A fantastic book that opened my eyes to the struggles and the beauty of a part of the world that is now dearest to me. It shifts the paradigm from an Indo-Pak dominated story to one that engages with the most important (and often most-forgotten) people in the conflict - the Kashmiris. Re-iterated for me the basic human (and communal) rights of freedom to choose our leaders, our allegiances, and most importantly, our destiny.

[Kanan Shah]

A wonderful book to acquaint yourself with the history of the issue ravaging the subcontinent for well over half a century.
Bose doesn't take sides or mince words. An absolutely vital guide to understanding the Kashmir tussle and the changing loyalties in that region.

[Debarati]

This is an amazing book on Kashmir.. I have got an great insight on what is actually happening in the valley.