Water, War and India-Pakistan Relations

Water, War and India-Pakistan Relations Synopsis

This book examines India and Pakistan's conflicting interest, bound as they are to the irredentist territory of Kashmir, and argues that conflict over Kashmir is not exclusively ideological but also fundamentally connected to the territorial control of the Indus water resource.
It presents a theoretical model which explains the role of international rivers in inter-state relations in general, and the intertwined nature of the disputes over Kashmir and the Indus rivers in particular. The focus lies on uncovering those factors of conflict in the Indus Basin which are not related to identity or ideology. Furthermore, their linkage with political thinking, strategic planning, and warfare between India and Pakistan is examined and the circumstances under which enduring rival nations compromise on vital concerns and postpone political issues is analysed. At the core of the study lies an explanation of the conflict over Indus waters, how it has been managed and why it has been overshadowed by other concerns in analyses of Indo-Pakistan relations despite being one of the major root-causes of the Kashmir conflict.
The author makes a novel case for the claim that neo-realistic interests between rival neighbouring states are the cause of conflict and accommodation, and he brings to light the competition for the control of vital water resources as an issue of high-politics in the field of international relations. This book thus reinforces the belief of geo-politicians that competition over, and control of, vital resources-be they oil, materials for warfare, or minerals-is the main cause of conflict between states, and adds substance to that belief by attributing equal significance to the territorial control of freshwater resources between riparian nations. It also highlights the pitfalls in the field of mediation and exposes the role of self-interested mediators in providing unsustainable solutions. It will be of interest to academics in the field of International Relations and International Security, Conflict Resolution, Geopolitics and South Asian Studies.