Demystifying Kashmir - Hardcover

Navnita Chadha Behera

3.97

29 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0815708602 ISBN 13: 9780815708605

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press, 2006

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The Kashmir issue is typically cast as a "territorial dispute" between two belligerent neighbors in South Asia. But there is much more to the story than that.

The Jammu and Kashmir state, home to an extraordinary medley of races, tribal groups, languages, and religions, makes up one of the most diverse regions in the subcontinent. Demystifying Kashmir argues that recognizing the rich, complex, and multi-faceted character of Kashmir is important not only for understanding the structural causes of this conflict but also for providing opportunities to establish a just, viable, and lasting solution.

In this remarkable book, Navnita Chadha Behera traces the history of Kashmir from the pre-partition India to the current-day situation. She provides a comprehensive analysis of the philosophical underpinnings and the local, bilateral, and international dynamics of the key players involved in this flashpoint of conflict, including New Delhi, Islamabad, political groups and militant outfits on both sides of the Line of Control, and international powers. The book explores the political and military components of India's and Pakistan's Kashmir strategy, the self-determination debate, and the insurgent movement that began in 1989. The conclusion focuses on what Behera terms the four P's: parameters, players, politics, and prognosis of the ongoing peace process in Kashmir. Behera also reflects on the devastation of the October 2005 earthquake and its implications for the future of the area.

Based on extensive field research and primary sources, Demystifying Kashmir breaks new ground by framing the conflict as a political battle of state-making between India and Pakistan rather than as a rigid and ideological Hindu-Muslim conflict. Behera's work will be an essential guide for journalists, scholars, activists, policymakers, and anyone interested in how to avert a war between these nuclear powers.

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Review:

"Understanding a problem is the first step towards solving it. Regrettably, few in South Asia and fewer elsewhere actually understand the Kashmir problem. Behera's lucidly written book should help the world understand the problem better. Hopefully, it will make it easier for us to solve it." --Media Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, "Sanjaya Baru"

"DEMYSTIFYING KASHMIR is the best analysis of why the Kashmir dispute has proven to be enduring." --Ashley Tellis, "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"

"This compelling account of the complex political dynamics in Jammu and Kashmir is a must-read for anyone wanting to get behind the headlines to the real forces driving events in the state." --Praveen Swami, "Frontline"

"At a time when India and Pakistan are seriously attempting to resolve the problems of Kashmir, Behera's incisive new study is essential reading for policymakers and scholars alike. She succeeds in not only demystifying the complexities of Kashmir, but presents a comprehensive analysis of the various options for making and building peace. Brilliant and timely!" --Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, "Amitabh Mattoo"

"This book provides new insights into India's as well as Pakistan's grand strategies of achieving their critical, though diverging, political objectives in Kashmir....It is an outstanding piece of work and will make an important contribution to the current debates on the peace process in Kashmir." --Director, Centre for Air Power Studies, "Air Commodore Jasjit Singh"

"The conflict between India and Pakistan and the division of the state arrested the development of democracy. Azad Kashmir, despite its name, has suffered the most. Behera brings a realist perspective to bear on the Kashmir dispute and shows that its origins lie not in the religion or ideology, but in the struggle waged by Kashmiris for democratic self-rule." --Former editor, Hindustan Times, "Prem Shankar Jha"

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