Demystifying Kashmir [Hardcover]

Navnita Chadha Behera (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

"Behera delves into the history and dynamics of the Kashmir situation in a way that few other authors have done." -- Ambassador Teresita C. Schaffer, Center for Strategic and International Studies

"This book deserves to be widely read by those interested in the future of the region." -- Alexander Evans, Nuffield College, University of Oxford

From the Back Cover

From the Conclusion:

"The most challenging aspect of the Kashmir peace process is to think beyond the narrow conceptions of the three parameters along which this conflict is traditionally viewed: ideology, nationalism, and self-determination. Each has proved to be a serious impediment to its resolution."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 359 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press (December 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815708602
• ISBN-13: 978-0815708605
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute "must-read" for anyone seeking to familiarize themselves, June 9, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Demystifying Kashmir (Hardcover)

Written by Delhi University (India) political science teacher Navnita Chadha Behera, Demystifying Kashmir is a close examination of the contested Kashmir territory, which has been a source of dispute and outright war between Indian and Pakistan for practically half a century. Yet Kashmir has its own ethnic, cultural, religious, and political history. Drawn from extensive field research, Demystifying Kashmir examines the conflict over Kashmir in the context of a political battle of statemaking between India and Pakistan, rather that an ideological Hindu-Muslim conflict. Chapters examine the medley of races caught in the midst of strife, the doomed Kashmiri insurgency of 1989 (initially an indigenous and underground movement of young people calling themselves the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front prior to developing into a mass movement for independence), and the modern day "peace puzzle" that focuses on what Behera refers to as the four P's: the parameters, players, policies, and prognosis of the peace process in Kashmir. An absolute "must-read" for anyone seeking to familiarize themselves with the history and current political situation of Kashmir, enthusiastically recommended for public and college library reference shelves.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars no quick resolution of longstanding problems, May 6, 2007

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Demystifying Kashmir (Hardcover)

The book is about both Jammu and Kashmir. Giving some 50 years of history of the states. It turns out that Kashmir is vital in several ways to India. It is the only Muslim majority state. By retaining Kashmir, India affirms its secular nature, even while the majority of Indians are Hindu. This is seen as a plus, compared to Pakistan, whose existance is explicitly based on a Muslim identity.

We see much cynicism by Pakistan, in lending support to Kashmiri insurgents. Even while doing little to assuage ethnic Kashmiris in regions of Pakistan. At relatively little cost in material, and essentially no cost in manpower, Pakistan manages to tie down half the Indian army in Kashmir. From a purely military standpoint, the Pakistani involvement yields a continuing bonus. With the status quo, the direct confrontation between front line Pakistani and Indian soldiers is at almost numeric parity.

The book is clear on the point that we are unlikely to see a peaceful resolution of Kashmir any time soon. The main powers, US, Russia, China and Europe, have no direct involvement in this state. Their main concern is that Pakistan and India do not go to nuclear war. So Kashmir can keep simmering. Especially since India has the manpower to maintain an indefinite occupation, and Pakistan has little incentive to stop its interventions.