India, Pakistan and the Kashmir Dispute: On Regional Conflict and Its Resolution [Hardcover]

Robert G. Wirsing (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312084420 | ISBN-13: 978-0312084424 | Publication Date: September 15, 1994

Kashmir is the focal point of an acute regional dispute that has pitted India and Pakistan against one another ever since they gained their independence from Great Britain in 1947. Already, these bitter rivals have gone to war twice over Kashmir, leaving the state physically divided and heavily militarized. The eruption of massive anti-Indian violence in Indian Kashmir in early 1990 has changed the dispute, further complicating India-Pakistan relations and lending even greater urgency to the search for settlement. The reasons for, and possible resolutions of, this dispute are the themes of Professor Wirsing's book.

Drawing on repeated field visits and wide-ranging interviews with government officials, political leaders, military officers, and diplomats in both India and Pakistan, the author provides abundant new material on the Kashmir dispute's political, military, domestic, and international dimensions.

The book responds to mounting international concern about Kashmir with specific, step-by-step recommendations for breaking the existing diplomatic stalemate between India and Pakistan.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan has grown like a cancer for nearly 50 years. Its tangled origins, current animosities, and unlikely future emerge clearly in this work due to the firm control Wirsing exerts over his material. After providing an up-to-date history of the conflict, he examines how it affects the internal political scene of both nations. The study examines a new element to be considered-the rise of a Kashmiri Muslim separatist movement and its complicating impact on any possible resolution. From the viewpoint of a political scientist, Wirsing lists the possible options and formats for settlement and follows with possible resolutions. He closes with the impression that no morally right solution exists that would be satisfactory to any of the parties. Wirsing's finely balanced, well-documented, dispassionate study provides the best available examination of the Kashmir dispute. For informed readers.
John F. Riddick, Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mt. Pleasant
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Robert G. Wirsing is a Professor of International Studies at the University of South Carolina.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312084420
• ISBN-13: 978-0312084424
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,975,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book, August 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: India, Pakistan and the Kashmir Dispute: On Regional Conflict and Its Resolution (Paperback)

This is the best book I have ever read on the Kashmir dispute. I saw him on PBS last year and he was great. I recommend this book to everyone. It is informative and well written analysis of the Kashmir dispute.

0 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good...but I've read better, April 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: India, Pakistan and the Kashmir Dispute: On Regional Conflict and Its Resolution (Paperback)

While Wirsing does present a fairly good argument, he presents a biased account of the dispute. He relies on evidence that is debated. Also, the book is very dry. There are much better writers that can relay the same information.