Policy Brief - Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Slow but Steady on Kashmir
<em>Advice to President Obama</em>
Note
From Advice to President Obama—A quick guide to pressing policy issues, published by MIT's Center for International Studies:
"Barack Obama will be flooded with advice on the many crucial matters that he must face as 44th President of the United States, as will the new Congress. Here we offer a few fresh ideas, succinctly stated, on issues ranging from security strategy to the financial crisis to human rights. The advice is offered by scholars affiliated with the MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), and draws on their deep knowledge and experience."
Research Fellow Paul Staniland offers his policy recommendations on U.S. policy toward the disputed region of Kashmir.
The dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir is profoundly destabilizing. The U.S. has a strong interest in bolstering a stable Pakistan and encouraging India's rise, and thus it should care about Kashmir. India, however, is vehemently opposed to internationalization of the issue, while Pakistani leaders are too weak and internally divided to make major concessions.
Instead of special envoys and summits, the U.S. should adopt a "quiet diplomacy" approach that offers incentives to India and Pakistan for making tangible, if small, progress on the ground in Kashmir. The U.S. should offer to help fund sustained local policy initiatives in both Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir aimed at improving governance and encouraging economic exchange and the movement of people across the Line of Control. An initiative focused on local government and civil society lacks the drama of shuttle diplomacy and grand bargains, but can actually improve the daily lives of Kashmiris while giving them more say over their own governance. This slow, incremental strategy falls far short of the ambitions of many Kashmiris, Indians, and Pakistanis, but it can provide a base of trust and confidence to eventually move toward a more encompassing settlement.
Paul Staniland is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at MIT, and a research fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School.
Download all the Advice to President Obama policy memos here.
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.
For more information on this publication:
Please contact
International Security
For Academic Citation:
Staniland, Paul. “Slow but Steady on Kashmir.” Policy Brief, Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, January 2009.
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Journal Article
- International Security
Foreign Intervention and Internal Displacement: Urban Politics in Postwar Beirut
Analysis & Opinions
- Foreign Policy
5 Reasons the Israel-Palestine Conflict Won't End Any Time Soon
Magazine Article
- History Today
An Uyghur Chieftain in China's Civil War
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Report
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Arctic Climate Science: A Way Forward for Cooperation through the Arctic Council and Beyond
Journal Article
- Research Policy
The Relationship Between Science and Technology
Paper
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Attacking Artificial Intelligence: AI’s Security Vulnerability and What Policymakers Can Do About It
Note
From Advice to President Obama—A quick guide to pressing policy issues, published by MIT's Center for International Studies:
"Barack Obama will be flooded with advice on the many crucial matters that he must face as 44th President of the United States, as will the new Congress. Here we offer a few fresh ideas, succinctly stated, on issues ranging from security strategy to the financial crisis to human rights. The advice is offered by scholars affiliated with the MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), and draws on their deep knowledge and experience."
Research Fellow Paul Staniland offers his policy recommendations on U.S. policy toward the disputed region of Kashmir.
The dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir is profoundly destabilizing. The U.S. has a strong interest in bolstering a stable Pakistan and encouraging India's rise, and thus it should care about Kashmir. India, however, is vehemently opposed to internationalization of the issue, while Pakistani leaders are too weak and internally divided to make major concessions.
Instead of special envoys and summits, the U.S. should adopt a "quiet diplomacy" approach that offers incentives to India and Pakistan for making tangible, if small, progress on the ground in Kashmir. The U.S. should offer to help fund sustained local policy initiatives in both Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir aimed at improving governance and encouraging economic exchange and the movement of people across the Line of Control. An initiative focused on local government and civil society lacks the drama of shuttle diplomacy and grand bargains, but can actually improve the daily lives of Kashmiris while giving them more say over their own governance. This slow, incremental strategy falls far short of the ambitions of many Kashmiris, Indians, and Pakistanis, but it can provide a base of trust and confidence to eventually move toward a more encompassing settlement.
Paul Staniland is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at MIT, and a research fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School.
Download all the Advice to President Obama policy memos here.
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Journal Article - International Security
Foreign Intervention and Internal Displacement: Urban Politics in Postwar Beirut
Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
5 Reasons the Israel-Palestine Conflict Won't End Any Time Soon
Magazine Article - History Today
An Uyghur Chieftain in China's Civil War
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Arctic Climate Science: A Way Forward for Cooperation through the Arctic Council and Beyond
Journal Article - Research Policy
The Relationship Between Science and Technology
Paper - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Attacking Artificial Intelligence: AI’s Security Vulnerability and What Policymakers Can Do About It