As tensions rise along the Himalayas, re-upping some past examinations of the Sino-Indian security dynamic, all of which involved extensive field work (1/10)
First of all, a discussion in @SurvivalEditors of *the* major issue at the crux of the Sino-Indian border issue-Tibet & the PRC’s desire to exert control over every aspect of the Tibetan issue-& of how this may continue to drive tensions going forward: tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
Second, in response to a)why this matters for the US and b) what the US can do to help India strengthen its conventional deterrent along the Sino-Indian border, this 2019 @CNASdc report, co-written with @dankliman @fitt_joshua @kristinejlee27 cnas.org/publications/r…
Third, this 2017 Naval War College Review study on the military state of play along the LAC, and on the role Indian SOF could play in future contingencies: digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol… A shorter, adapted version available in @WarOnTheRocks here: warontherocks.com/2017/01/hard-m…
No doubt over the next few days there will be a lot of breathless commentary on alleged troop movements, incursions, etc, but the reality of the matter is that due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the contested regions in question, and the paucity of official...
..and reliable government communications (particularly on the Chinese side) there will most likely continue to be poor visibility on the evolving mechanics of the crisis. So a lot of caution and use of the conditional tense should be in order.
On this need for analytical caution I think @d_jaishankar is right on the money
Finally, for those seeking some historical background on the Sino-Indian rivalry, these three books, in particular, are invaluable: John Garver’s seminal “Protracted Contest” amazon.com/Protracted-Con…
My friend @tanvi_madan ‘s “Fateful Triangle”: a terrific and highly readable examination of how China shaped the evolution of the US-India relationship during the Cold War, brookings.edu/book/fateful-t…
And @GuyotRechard ‘s captivating historical study of the evolution of Sino-Indian relations in the Himalayas from the early twentieth century to the outbreak of the war of 1962: cambridge.org/vi/academic/su…
