South Asia: Iss of War/Peace

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

South Asia has changed and so have the issues of war and peace there. But South Asia has changed. The major drivers of change have been the end of the Cold War, the rise of globalization, global Islamic revivalism, and the post-9/11 US engagement in the region. The region has come to present economic opportunities, strategic challenges, and security threats like the threat of terrorism and extremism as never before. Along with these changes has come the phenomenal rise of China. India too has registered impressive economic and technological progress. The US, through its extraordinary new relationship with India, hopes to contain the Chinese power and influence in the region and beyond and seek Pakistan’s cooperation in meeting the security threats. The region also faces other challenges such as the dangers of nuclear proliferation, and the troubled Afghanistan where prospects of stability remain uncertain as the Taliban face challenges in gaining effective control of the country due to public resistance and the continued presence of transnational terrorist groups. The weight of the past also continues to oppress the present as old conflicts lurk in the background overlapping with the new ones in the region. Kashmir issue remains unresolved keeping ever present the danger of war between India and Pakistan which could conceivably turn nuclear especially as the two countries have still not settled on stable nuclear doctrines and concepts of deterrence. The nuclear competition goes on. Kashmir insurgency has intensified after Burhani Wani’s killing and India’s harder line under Prime Minister Modi especially as reflected in his decision on August 5 2019 to end Kashmir’s special status under the Constitution. And the historical tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan live on. Pakistan’s traditional security concerns relating to Afghanistan and India have merged, raising fear of encirclement. Increasing ties between India and the US have also aggravated Pakistan’s security concerns. Both Pakistan and India seem to be engaged in a kind of re-enactment of the ancient “great game” in Afghanistan complicating the country’s stabilization and also the international community’s efforts to fight forces of extremism and terrorism especially Al Qaeda and ISIS. How will Afghanistan’s future be affected by the return of the Taliban? Will Afghanistan become peaceful or descend into a civil war yet again? The course will focus on this whole range of dangers South Asia faces and presents and potential causes for conflict and war and also study the prospects for peace, the need as well as compulsions for it which have never been greater. Globalization, and rise of China and India, and the opening up of Central Asia offer new economic opportunities to the people of the region and the outside world through possible projects like gas pipelines, transit trade and much talked about New Silk Road –the American version and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative of whose flagship project CPEC is focused on Pakistan. The instructor is a former Ambassador of Pakistan who will bring to the teaching of this course his insights and expertise as a long-time policy practitioner and his experience as an academic. The course will blend a theoretical approach with elements of practical diplomacy. This course is a blend of seminar/lecture style straddling the undergrad and graduate needs and the success of the class would very much depend on student contribution. The instructor will introduce, provide context to, and summarize ideas, and will bring his first-hand knowledge of international affairs to bear on the extensive reading that the students are expected to do. And then the class will discuss and debate. Students will be challenged to develop bold and innovative habits of thought and analysis.