Aha! Suman over at Kolkata Libertarian finally responded to the article I mentioned last week regarding India’s detailed plans for a limited war against Pakistan. After hearing about the plan last week, it sounded pretty realistic, but I wanted to hear some analysis from somebody who knows better than I. Having read Suman’s assessment, I’m convinced: Barring some unforseen and bizarre turn of events, this is what is going to happen. It just makes too much sense, from the twisted logic of the region, not to.
Suman’s money quote:
“A sense of the dramatic plays very well in the subcontinental psyche. Furious and explosive exchanges across a relatively stagnant front-line provide for much drama, but make little tactical sense in this age of modern warfare. Keep in mind, however, that the goals of this war are very different from traditional wars of aggression and defense. It’s not how much land the armies can grab, it’s how well they can soothe the jingiosm of the people back home without crippling themselves in the process. “
Whether this little adventure stays the nice, tidy limited conflict that India has planned is another question entirely.
PS – Incidentally, if my implicit recommendation wasn’t clear enough, here’s an explicit one: you should be reading Sumit if you have any interest at all in the India-Pakistan mess. And if you don’t have any interest in what may turn into a nuclear war, well then there’s just no helping you.