Asymmetric Warfare in South Asia: The Causes and Consequences of the Kargil Conflict

by Peter R. Lavoy

Overview

The 1999 conflict between India and Pakistan near the town of Kargil in contested Kashmir was the first military clash between two nuclear-armed powers since the 1969 Sino-Soviet war. Kargil was a landmark event not because of its duration or casualties, but because it contained a very real risk of nuclear escalation. Until the Kargil conflict, academic and policy debates over nuclear deterrence and proliferation occurred largely on the theoretical level. This deep analysis of the conflict offers scholars and policymakers a rare account of how nuclear-armed states interact during military crisis. Written by analysts from India, Pakistan, and the United States, this unique book draws extensively on primary sources, including unprecedented access to Indian, Pakistani, and U.S. government officials and military officers who were actively involved in the conflict. This is the first rigorous and objective account of the causes, conduct, and consequences of the Kargil conflict.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521767217
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/12/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	426
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Peter R. Lavoy is Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis and Chairman of the National Intelligence Council. He has previously served as Principal Director for Requirements, Plans and Counterproliferation Policy and Director for Counterproliferation Policy in the Office of Secretary of Defense. This book was produced whilst he was on the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: the importance of the Kargil conflict Peter R. Lavoy; Part I. Causes and Conduct of the Conflict: 2. The strategic context of the Kargil conflict: a Pakistani perspective Zafar Iqbal Cheema; 3. Pakistan's motivations and calculations for the Kargil conflict Feroz Hassan Khan, Peter R. Lavoy and Christopher Clary; 4. Military operations in the Kargil conflict John H. Gill; 5. American diplomacy and the 1999 Kargil Summit at Blair House Bruce Riedel; 6. Kargil: the nuclear dimension Timothy D. Hoyt; 7. Why Kargil did not produce general war: the crisis-management strategies of Pakistan, India, and the United States Peter R. Lavoy; Part II: Consequences and Impact of the Conflict: 8. Surprise at the top of the world: India's systemic and intelligence failure James J. Wirtz and Surinder Rana; 9. Militants in the Kargil conflict: myths, realities, and impacts C. Christine Fair; 10. The impact of the Kargil conflict and Kashmir on Indian politics and society Praveen Swami; 11. The Kargil conflict's impact on Pakistani politics and society Saeed Shafqat; Part III. Lessons Learned: 12. The lessons of Kargil as learned by India Rajesh M. Basrur; 13. The lessons of Kargil as learned by Pakistan Hasan-Askari Rizvi; 14. The Kargil crisis: lessons learned by the United States Rodney W. Jones and Joseph McMillan; 15. Kargil, deterrence, and international relations theory Robert Jervis.

Editorial Reviews

Unlike most discussions of conflict between the nuclear-armed nations of South Asia, this combines contributions from experts in both of those countries, as well as American perspectives. It is especially comprehensive and balanced and blends theory and policy analysis in the best way.”
Richard K. Betts, Director, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University

“The 1999 Kargil War was a rare and dangerous moment in history when two nuclear powers and two democracies went to war despite the risks of nuclear escalation. This excellent book explains, in more detail and depth that ever before, the crucial decisions made in Islamabad, New Delhi, and in the mountain peaks of Kashmir that led to the Kargil conflict and led to its eventual resolution.”
Scott D. Sagan, Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford University

“The ugly stability in South Asia, unfortunately, will continue to be periodically disrupted by different kinds of limited wars. Peter Lavoy’s Asymmetric Warfare in South Asia deserves wide reading because it is a meticulous examination of the first, but perhaps not the last, limited war to occur in the Indian subcontinent under the shadow of nuclear weaponry. Both academics and policymakers alike will be informed—and sobered—by this excellent work.”
Ashley J. Tellis, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

From the Publisher