India’s relation with Pakistan has definitely seen more low points than the high points. The bitter-sweet relation shared between the two nations has neither made significant progress nor achieved any major breakthroughs since its 65 years of Independence.
Today, India’s economic progress and political stability, together with its size, have lifted it to the status of a world power. Pakistan, on the other hand, is dogged by an unhappy past marked by repeated military interventions that prevented democracy from taking root.
India surpasses its neighbor when it comes to excellence in energy, aviation, scientific innovations, education, information and technology, communications and also on the political and social front. The CIA World Fact Book 2012 has commented on Pakistan’s unhappy state of affairs by stating that, “decades of internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment have led to slow growth and underdevelopment in Pakistan.”
But, apart from the differences in the aforementioned indicators, they also share similarities. Both the nations were born out of a violent struggle and share a common history which is complex and intertwined in more than ways than one. They also account for the majority of the world’s poor and both are also aware of each other’s nuclear prowess. Both the regions today are torn by sectarian strife which is plaguing not only the two nations but has spilled over to other nation-states too, regionally and globally.
It would be unfair to say that attempts have not not made by the respective nations to reconcile their differences and move towards amity, peace and friendship. A host of bilateral discussions, round table meetings, conferences and summits have been held, agreements have be...
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...nted further by people to people contacts. Events like “Aman ki Asha” have definitely helped in faciliatating such contacts and in bringing the people of the two countries closer where each side discovered not only their cultural similarities but also similarities at giving peace and friendship a chance by exploring newer ways and newer avenues by looking to the future based on their present and not the past that has marred the destiny of the two nations up until now.
If Nawaz Sharif is looking at making “new beginnings” he definitely will have to shed his old ways at governing and being governed by the military in order to ensure that the newly democratically elected government moves ahead on the road to peace with renewed zeal and vigor taking into account the people’s aspirations, the nation’s development and the regions’ stability, in its engagement with India.
...ndships need to be formed. Peace-making can be illustrated by the nations stopping the fighting between each other. They can live at peace with each other and help support each other. Realistically speaking, this is not expected.
The basis of this paper is to review and examine specific principles and theories of cooperation and argument management as reflected by a specific story of the Middle East peace process within the named article. The article is entitled "The Wounds Of Peace," by Connie Bruck. This, of course, is one individual author's perspective, yet, nevertheless, it is the view of this author that much of the content is historically factual and accurate, with a definite sense of individual perspectives as purported by the author. To the greatest extent, this author shall attempted to meet those requirements as per the related principles and theories of negotiation and conflict management. Similarly, this will take place within the context of the Middle East peace process, guided within a specific time and place. To a large extent, this author should also like to state that his perspectives will emanate from those theories and principles which are rooted within negotiation and conflict management. Probably, no where else on this Earth (with the possible exception of Northern Ireland) are the principles and theories of negotiation and conflict management more contentious than those that exist within the Middle East
In Pakistan, people are stricken with poverty, the economy is unstable, and there are no opportunities to fulfill one’s goals. The U.S. economy is abundant and ripe with jobs. The only attribute is that one has to go out and want a job. Pakistan is more of a follower than a leader. It essentially adopts America’s ideals, but does not attain them. The poverty and unemployment rates are increasing daily. In many cases, one person works in the family and rest of the individuals sit back and play cricket or watch movies all day long. There is no hope of becoming a self-made person. The system is backwards and I think it requires a change. In contrast, living in Ameri...
The Consequences of Nuclear Conflict between India and Pakistan. (2006, June 5). NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/southasia.asp
The article, “Why Is There So Much Conflict in the Middle East?” written by Mirjam E. Sørli et. al corresponds a great deal with the text Politics and Change in the Middle East as far as the reasons for conflict in the Middle East. Sørli et. al disputes the idea of “Middle East exceptionalism,” which says that there is something different about Middle Easterners that make them prone to violence and conflict (142). Sørli et. al says this is not true, but rather there are very simple reasons as to why there has been conflict in the Middle East. As stated, the lack of regional natural resources such as water, oil, and arable la...
During the Cold War, many regional conflicts occurred and were noted as the significant battles which later led to decolonization. One of the regional conflicts were India and Pakistan fighting for their independence. In 1947, India was released under Great Britain’s control and gained its independence. However, the country was divided between Muslims and Hindus, which share different religions. Muslims wanted church and state to become unified while Hindus wanted a separation of these two establishments. Since these two ethnic groups disagreed, it was difficult to create a new government. Therefore, India was divided into two nations: India for the Hindus and Pakistan for the Muslims. Hindus and Muslims were racing to the border in order to get to their nation state which led to killing 500,000 people due to rioting. Although, Mohandas Gandhi, an Indian National Congressman, wanted to obtain peace between these two religions. Pakistan refused the H...
Since its independence in 1947, political stability has been a key factor which has ensured that India is the largest democracy in the world today. In spite ...
The Prince of Kashmir chose India but Pakistan invaded the province soon after and have occupied part of Kashmir since then. Controversy still surrounds the province today because naturally, Muslims want to control it. While many Muslims relocated to Pakistan and the Hindus to India, half of the Muslim population was left in India and their relations did not improve after being partially separated.
Overall India’s recent political environment has been largely unstable due to international events & continued tension with Pakistan.
Lawrence Auster wrote an eye-opening blog excerpt titled India and Pakistan: Why the Mass Killing Occurred. The content of this excerpt explore the fundamental issues of identity and religion that led to the violence in 1947. The author makes his point by utilizing current event such as the train massacre in 2002, in which 50 Hindu women and children were burned alive. The blog is for an audience with some prior knowledge on the topic and continues to expand upon that knowledge. The blog is a secondary source because it introduces its own unique ideas regarding the issue and was written after the time of the event. It was very helpful to my research because it simplifies the wordy information often found on scholarly sites and condenses it into something comprehensible and relatable to the reader.
Nuclear bombs were status-enhancing: India could finally become a "global player". It was, as Ghosh writes, "a primal scream for self-assertion".Equally chilling is the difference in how the two countries perceive their nouveau nuclear status. While nuclear-bombs appear to be "harmless icons of empowerment" for many Indian experts, their Pakistani counterparts fear a nuclear conflagration.
After the Cold War, the system of international relations entered a new era. With the bipolar world order broken, countries started a complex conflict and cooperation process to establish a new multipolar world order. Stemming from basic strategic interests, these countries have to make adjustments and supplements foreign strategic position to win favorable positions to their interest in the international system. The similarity and/or differences in interests, ideological perspective, history, culture ... between countries are always a major factor and dominant impact issues of cooperation and conflict. Besides the efforts to maintain peace and expand cooperation for development, the world witness many international conflicts in both large scale and small scale. Therefore, when talking about the trend of peace and cooperation it is impossible to ignore the impact and influence of current international conflicts as well as the possibility of new conflicts future.
Origins for the cooperation amongst powers necessary to tackle international disputes can be traced back to the 19th century, however the formation of the League of Nations was eagerly prompted by the First World War. After the horrors in which the world observed, leaders merged together and rejoiced in the potential for a new international system. The League of Nations foremost objective was to secure peace through collective efforts of ‘peace-loving’ powers (Steans, Pettiford, & Diez, 2005, p. 31). President Woodrow Wilson was a lead proponent in the creation of such a body, suggesting it- within his message on the Conditions of Peace- as a means of ‘affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike’ (Wilson, 1918). The following year a detailed scheme was presented at the Versailles Peace Conference and the league was swiftly established with the addition of a permanent secretariat in Geneva. (Catterall, 1999, p. 50). The League was very much considered the ‘most daring and innovative proposal’ (Wilkinson, 2007, p. 85)
We must avoid the temptation if at any given time our individual national economy is more prosperous than those of our other partner states, to be so arrogant as to forget that our economic situation may be suddenly reversed and that therefore we will soon need close links with our partner states in matters concerning both the intra-regional and extra-regional spheres. West Indian history abounds with instances of countries suffering sudden reversals of their economic fortunes.
...ic Use of Multiple channels of Negotiation in Middle East Peacemaking’, 2001, A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Fletcher School Of Law And Diplomacy Tufts University, viewed at http://repository01.lib.tufts.edu:8080/fedora/get/tufts:UA015.012.DO.00003/bdef:TuftsPDF/getPDF on 10 April 2012 .