External Factors: Facilitating Military and Political Stability in South Asia

The Cambridge Review of International Affairs interview with George Perkovich, conducted in February, 2001, provides an in-depth and up to date perspective of regional stability in the Indian subcontinent. Although the Kashmir conflict and terrorism in the region are coming under increased international scrutiny, the role played by external players with varying economic and strategic interests in both countries in shaping Indo-Pak interactions is limited. Domestic and external influences on the region compete with one another, maintaining a stalemate in the region. Long-lasting subcontinental stability can occur only if India and Pakistan actively choose to reconcile their differing views on the pressing issues of Kashmir and terrorism therein. Widely considered an expert on Indo-Pak nuclear politics and prize-winning author of India's Nuclear Bomb , Dr Perkovich outlines his understanding of the nature of the South Asian stand-off, and the possible effects of international efforts for its peaceful resolution.