Help or Hindrance: Third Parties in The Indo-Pakistani Conflict

In cases of ethno-nationalist and other kinds of protracted conflict, third party intervention is crucial for settlement to occur, since conflicting actors are too mired in the histories of their grievances to move towards settlement themselves. This article examines five instances of hostility between India and Pakistan over the last five decades; two of these conflicts ended in settlement and the other three in war. The evidence presented in these instances suggests ways in which third party characteristics, strategies, and timing of intervention may influence final outcomes.