Conflict Unending [Paperback]

Sumit Ganguly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0231123698 | ISBN-13: 978-0231123693

The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan have received renewed attention of late. Since their genesis in 1947, the nations of India and Pakistan have been locked in a seemingly endless spiral of hostility over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Ganguly asserts that the two nations remain mired in conflict due to inherent features of their nationalist agendas. Indian nationalist leadership chose to hold on to this Muslim-majority state to prove that minorities could thrive in a plural, secular polity. Pakistani nationalists argued with equal force that they could not part with Kashmir as part of the homeland created for the Muslims of South Asia. Ganguly authoritatively analyzes why hostility persists even after the dissipation of the pristine ideological visions of the two states and discusses their dual path to overt acquisition of nuclear weapons, as well as the current prospects for war and peace in the region.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Since 1947 and independence from the British, India and Pakistan have gone to war in 1947-48, 1965, 1971, and 1999. With the exception of the 1971 war over East Pakistan, the occupation of Kashmir has provided the focal point for each conflict. Ganguly (Asian studies and government, Univ. of Texas, Austin) presents a concise, dispassionate summary of each Indo-Pakistani conflict. With Kashmir always in the foreground, he destroys as a basis of conflict the popular, monolithic view of Pakistan as an Islamic state and India as a secular entity. Probing deeper, Ganguly contends that Pakistani aggression has emanated from a false sense that India was too apathetic to meet a military challenge. He convincingly argues that this poor military analysis is rooted in the arrested development of Pakistan's democratic institutions. In the case of the 1999 Kargil conflict, Ganguly, however, points to Indian complacency as the root of Pakistan's perception of India's weakness. With both nations now in possession of nuclear arms, Ganguly (The Crisis of Kashmir) proposes a solution for the conflict over Kashmir in making the Line of Control permanent and greatly weakening Kashmir's federal relationship with India. For most libraries. John F. Riddick, Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mount Plesant
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Ganguly presents a concise, dispassionate summary of each Indo-Pakistani conflict.

(Library Journal vol. 67 no. 2)

In his brilliant new book, [Ganguly] provides a sophisticated and lucid explanation of why India and Pakistan have suffered such chronically bad relations. Conflict Unending sets the industry standard... and it cements Ganguly's reputation as one of the world's leading experts on subcontinental political affairs.

(Foreign Affairs )

Conflict Unending is a welcome successor to much-worn copies of Sources of Conflict on library shelves. There is no better concise presentation for those seeking a grounding in this sadly still current subject.

(Thomas Perry Thornton Political Science Quarterly )

This outstanding examination of the India-Pakistan conflict is indispensable reading for the scholar and policymaker. Sumit Ganguly offers a guide to its deeper origins and its dangerous manifestations with clarity and rigor. Dr. Ganguly has explored the reasons for India-Pakistan discord; his book is a major contribution to our understanding of what has emerged as one of the world's major trouble spots

(Stephen P. Cohen Brookings Institution )

Into this vague understanding [of the India-Pakistan conflict] strides the refreshingly direct Conflict Unending: India-Pakistan Tensions since 1947, a book that manages to explicate the origins and evolution of South Asian political and military strife in a manner that is both straightforward and nuanced...making Conflict Unending's clear account of the core motivations at work both timely and significant.

(Arms Control Today )

Ganguly's comprehensive assessment of Indo-Pakistan tension should be required background reading for policy-makers, journalists and others seeking to understand the causes and history of conflict between these two sparring siblings.

(Asian Affairs )

A straightforward, well-written account... Brevity and lucidity are the strong points of this... easy read.

(Sanjay Joshi Historian )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231123698
• ISBN-13: 978-0231123693
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > History > Asia > Pakistan

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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb India-Pakistan Primer, November 3, 2002

By 

Sir Charles Panther "Life is hard. It's hard... (Alexandria, Virginny, USandA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conflict Unending (Paperback)

Ganguly provides a valuable service with this book, an accessible, easy to read historical account and observation of India-Pakistan relations, in the context of their frequent wars and crises since 1947. Credit goes to Ganguly for making a no-nonsense call on the source of most of the intransigence and crisis, Pakistan. The reasons are numerous and different depending on the crisis at hand, and the discussions extensive (yet easy to follow), but Ganguly lays most of the blame for the ongoing problems between India and Pakistan at Pakistan's feet, more specifically at the feet of its arrogant, immature, and impetuous armed forces. India certainly is not without blame both for creating and exacerbating tension with Pakistan, and Ganguly highlights this when required.

This is an excellent primer on India-Pakistan relations, tensions, and warfare since their mutual 1947 independence. Ganguly discusses (by chapter) the 1947 war of independence/Partition (The First Kashmir War), the 1965 Second Kashmir War, the 1971Bangladesh War, and the Kargil Crisis/War of 1999. He includes two very useful chapters on the seemingly unending relationship of crisis between India and Pakistan and the recently public nuclear dimension of the relationship. This 2001 edition concludes shortly after 9/11/01 and its unfolding consequences, with some short personal observations and minor assessment from Ganguly, but does not benefit from a detailed analytical exploration of how the 9/11 attacks and their international political aftermath will affect the India-Pakistan situation.

The presentation of this extremely complex relationship is straightforward and simple, at least as simple as it can be presented and still retain the key aspects of the history. Ganguly's narrative proceeds quickly, is easy to read and follow, and only briefly (in the introduction mainly) does he stray into dogmatic academic language. His simplification and logical, flowing delivery of this complex subject is a major accomplishment in itself. This is not to say that this is a dumbed-down history of India-Pakistan relations, not in the least. His abundant citations illustrate his depth of knowledge on this subject, and serve as ample sources of information and reference for those who wish to pursue individual issues further.

Throughout the book Ganguly makes a logical and very clear argument that almost all of the bases for Pakistan's continued intransigence on Jammu and Kashmir, hence virtually all of the reasons for Indian and Pakistani animosity have ceased to exist. Pakistan's assumed mandate of foundation, as a homeland for South Asian Islam, has lost its legitimacy through the various crises in Jammu and Kashmir and their outcomes, and due to the "loss" of Bangladesh in 1971. Sadly, the outlook for tension between the two is not good, as Pakistan has come to rely increasingly on Muslim nationalism and its attendant creeping fundamentalism in order to bolster its essentially hollow claims to Jammu and Kashmir.

The extremely useful citations are in the form of chapter end notes, and reflect Ganguly's total familiarity with all major, minor, and related India-Pakistan issues. This does require some distractive page-turning to get to the specific citation or additional point of fact as you read, but the end notes serve to maintain the smooth, flowing narrative. Especially useful in this book are the appendices, a collection of nine essential documents from the history of India-Pakistan relations, including the 1947 letter of accession of Jammu and Kashmir, the 1972 Simla Agreement, and the 1999 Lahore Declaration. These documents are crucial to understanding the more esoteric aspects of this enduring conflict, are cited frequently throughout the book, and the inclusion of them as appendices is very thoughtful. The 14-page index is thorough and references almost all persons, places, events, issues, and concepts mentioned in the narrative. The index does not include reference to any of the citations, requiring a thorough (and tedious) reading of them to derive maximum research benefit.

This is an excellent introductory study for any serious student of South Asian relations and foreign policy. As such, I recommend this book for high school AP and college-level introductory South Asian/World Politics courses. Its easy narrative and fast pace allow for quick absorption and general understanding without a weight of detail and context. Not to say context and details are unimportant, Ganguly offers his copious citations for anyone interested in pursuing individual issues and opinions in depth. For any casual reader on international affairs, this is a valuable introduction to the history behind and general current state of play in what is arguably the world's most dangerous flashpoint.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You need to know your stuff before reading., December 28, 2005

By 

Steve Chernoski (Lambertville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conflict Unending (Paperback)

Sumit Ganguly does a worthy job of detailing the tensions between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain. He is very thorough. However, if you have little knowledge of international affairs, you will be out of luck. The book is not for the casual reader; Ganguly is assuming you know your stuff before you read. It would help to brush up on the Soviet and US administrations, their policies in South Asia and even the Sino-Indian war of 1962 before reading this book. He will talk about the Nixon administration's policy vis-à-vis Pakistan or India and then the next page go back and talk about Eisenhower's policies toward them. The chapters are written chronologically, but Ganguly does go back and forth within them a bit. This may be unavoidable considering the picture he is trying to paint, but nonetheless a heads up.

Also, an index of maps would have been greatly appreciated. There are many mentions of border areas in India and Pakistan with Bangladesh, China and Afghanistan. Most appreciated would be detailed maps of the Lines of Control within Kashmir. These maps would facilitate his very detailed writing.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Primer on India-PakistanTensions, May 8, 2003

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conflict Unending (Paperback)

Sumit Ganguly offers an invaluable primer on the roots, history, and possible future of current tensions between India and Pakistan. Along the way he successfully challenges one fundamental myth that this conflict would not have occurred if there wasn't a dispute over Jammu and Kashmir. Ganguly notes that the seeds of the conflict go back centuries, even before the arrival of the British, due to bloody wars between predominantly Muslim and Hindu states on the Indian subcontinent. Yet he does bear the British Raj some responsibility, for promoting Muslim interests at the expense of other religious communities during the 19th Century. He strongly criticizes India for its complacency in its relations with Pakistan, forgoing possible opportunities to establish a long-lasting peace. He suggests that a peaceful resolution will be attained when both parties agree to the ceasefire line - or Line of Control - as the border in Kashmir and India offers the Kashmiris more political autonomy. Although this book may be a bit slim with regards to substance, it does an admirable job covering every facet of Indian-Pakistani relations. Without question it is essential reading for anyone interested in this ongoing crisis.