NPS Guest Lecture:

Jean-Luc Racine Discusses Kashmir

NSA News Brief

Introduction

Professor Jean-Luc Racine, Senior Fellow at the Center for South Asia Studies with the foundation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme in Paris, France, delivered a lecture and analysis on Indo-Pakistani Relations and Kashmir.

NPS students and professors listened to Mr. Racine’s thorough analysis of the ongoing Kashmir dilemma and extensively illustrated the history of the region from the initial partition lines, the ethnic composition and struggle, and contemporary conflicts that have arisen in the area including the Kargil Operation and the 2001-2002 troop build-up on the line of control.

Mr. Racine elucidated the strategic importance of the region and focused on Kashmir as a key juncture point for future Indo-Pakistani dialogue and development towards a stable relationship.

The Kashmir Dispute

Mr. Racine first focused on the key regional parameters that have shaped the ongoing conflict in the Kashmir. “Partition Syndrome” has propagated a legacy of wars and tensions, beginning in 1947 while furthering a culture of mistrust and suspicion between India and Pakistan. Such conflicts included the 1965 Kashmir war, the 1971 Bangladesh war, and the 1989 indigenous Kashmiri uprising against India. After the end of the cold war, Pakistan engaged in policies of strategic depth towards both Afghanistan and Kashmir. This subsequently led to outsiders and insurgent elements flooding the region had been loosely supported to continue their fight within Indian controlled areas of Kashmir that are Muslim majority.

An Emerging Asian Architecture

Since September 11th, and the 2001-2002 crisis which led to full mobilization of Indian troops along the LoC, Mr. Racine addressed a shift in positioning of the Indo-Pakistani relations along with broader regional implications.

In terms of Kashmir, Racine believes that India is willing to accept the LoC as it stands today and that a pragmatic compromise around the soft border is possible. Again, Racine foresees a continual geo-economic shift that will be beneficial for the sub-continent.

While India defines itself more as the economic and strategic counter-balance to China, evident with the tentative U.S.-India nuclear deal, Racine sees a trend towards normalization between India and China and the global emergence of these two nations as potential superpowers.