History and Background of the Kashmir Conflict

Kashmir, officially referred to as Jammu and Kashmir, is an 86,000-square-mile region (about the size of Idaho) in northwest India and northeast Pakistan so breathtaking in physical beauty that Mugal ​(or Moghul) emperors in the 16th and 17th century considered it an earthly paradise. The region has been violently disputed by India and Pakistan since their 1947 partition, which created Pakistan as the Muslim counterpart to Hindu-majority India. History of Kashmir After centuries of Hindu and Buddhist rule, Muslim Moghul emperors took control of Kashmir in the 15th century, converted the population to Islam and incorporated it into the Moghul empire. Islamic Moghul rule should not be confused with modern forms of authoritarian Islamic regimes. The Moghul empire, characterized by the likes of Akbar the Great (1542-1605) embodied Enlightenment ideals of tolerance and pluralism a century before the rise of the European Enlightenment. (Moghuls left their mark on the subsequent Sufi-inspired form of Islam that dominated the subcontinent in India and Pakistan, before the rise of more jihadist-inspired Islamist mullahs.) Afghan invaders followed the Moghuls in the 18th century, who were themselves driven out by Sikhs from Punjab. Britain invaded in the 19th century and sold the entire Kashmir Valley for half a million rupees (or three rupees per Kashmiri) to the brutal repressive ruler of Jammu, the Hindu Gulab Singh. It was under Singh that the Kashmir Valley became part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The 1947 India-Pakistan Partition and Kashmir India and Pakistan were partitioned in 1947. Kashmir was split as well, with two-thirds going to India and a third going to Pakistan, even though Indias share was predominantly Muslim, like Pakistan. Muslims rebelled. India repressed them. War broke out. It wasnt settled until a 1949 cease-fire brokered by the United Nations and a resolution calling for a referendum, or plebiscite, allowing Kashmiris to decide their future for themselves. India has never implemented the resolution. Instead, India has maintained what amounts to an occupying army in Kashmir, cultivating more resentment from the locals than fertile agricultural products. Modern Indias founders—Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi—both had Kashmiri roots, which partially explains Indias attachment to the region. To India, Kashmir for the Kashmiris means nothing. Indian leaders standard line is that Kashmir is an integral part of India. In 1965, India and Pakistan fought their second of three major wars since 1947 over Kashmir. The United States was largely to blame for setting the stage for war. The cease-fire three weeks later was not substantial beyond a demand that both sides put down their arms and a pledge to send international observers to Kashmir. Pakistan renewed its call for a referendum by Kashmirs mostly Muslim population of 5 million to decide the regions future, in accordance with a 1949 UN resolution. India continued to resist conducting such a plebiscite. The 1965 war, in sum, settled nothing and merely put off future conflicts. (Read more about the Second Kashmir War.) The Kashmir-Taliban Connection With the rise to power of Muhammad Zia ul Haq (the dictator was president of Pakistan from 1977 to 1988), Pakistan began its slump toward Islamism. Zia saw in Islamists a mean of consolidating and maintaining his power. By patronizing the cause of anti-Soviet Mujahideens in Afghanistan beginning in 1979, Zia curried and won Washingtons favor--and tapped into massive quantities of cash and weaponry the United States channeled through Zia to feed the Afghan insurgency. Zia had insisted that he be the conduit of arms and weaponry. Washington conceded. Zia diverted large amounts of cash and weaponry to two pet projects: Pakistans nuclear-weapons program, and developing an Islamist fighting force that would subcontract the fight against India in Kashmir. Zia largely succeeded at both. He financed and protected armed camps in Afghanistan that trained militants whod be used in Kashmir. And he supported the rise of a hard-core Islamist corps in Pakistani Madrassas and in Pakistans tribal areas that would exert Pakistans influence in Afghanistan and Kashmir. The corps name: The Taliban. Thus, the political and militant ramifications of recent Kashmiri history are  intimately connected with the rise of Islamism in northern and western Pakistan, and in Afghanistan. Kashmir Today According to a Congressional Research Service report, Relations between Pakistan and India remain deadlocked on the issue of Kashmiri sovereignty, and a separatist rebellion has been underway in the region since 1989. Tensions were extremely high in the wake of the Kargil conflict of 1999 when an incursion by Pakistani soldiers led to a bloody six-week-long battle. Tensions over Kashmir rose dangerously in fall 2001, forcing then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to de-escalate tensions in person. When a bomb exploded in the Indian Jammu and Kashmir state assembly and an armed band assaulted the Indian Parliament in New Delhi later that year, India mobilized 700,000 troops, threatened war, and provoked Pakistan into mobilizing its forces. American intervention compelled then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who had been particularly instrumental in further militarizing Kashmir, provoking the Kargil war there in 1999, and facilitating Islamist terrorism subsequently, in January 2002 vowed to end the presence of terrorist entities on Pakistani soil. He promised to ban and eliminate terrorist organizations, including Jemaah Islamiyah, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Musharrafs pledges, as always, proved empty. Violence in Kashmir continued. In May 2002, an attack on an Indian army base at Kaluchak killed 34, most of them women and children. The attack again brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war. Like the Arab-Israeli conflict, the conflict over Kashmir remains unresolved. And like the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is the source, and perhaps the key, to peace in regions far greater than the territory in dispute.

The Cold War Essay - 1029 Words

When one hears the common phrase, â€Å"The only good commie is a dead one,† the Cold War comes to mind. This war, cold because of no direct violence towards each country, was a major contribution to future wartime diplomacy. The clever Americans used many tactics to create a â€Å"cold† war that would benefit them in every aspect. The fear of communism consuming smaller countries exaggerated the possibility that America’s economy could be jeopardized. Politicians also helped guarantee anti-communist principles in the United States. Imitating the government, the media and other political figures helped create a frenzy of fear. The United States was more to blame for the Cold War than the Soviet Union. After World War II, the French, the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"According to the domino theory, if the United States declined to fight †¦ , other countries would lose their faith in America’s will (or their fear of American power) and wo uld tumble one after the other like ‘dominoes’ into the Soviet camp† (The American Pageant, 881). This illustrates how the United States wanted to fight to protect their economy, and to globalize it. Communism, an disease in the Soviet Camp, posed an economic threat to the United States because it would take away the globalization of trade. The United States established themselves as the anticommunist patrol through the Truman Doctrine, who combated the spread of communism by influencing and improving the economy of countries who were swaying towards communism. This economic aid was a disguise for America imposing capitalistic values. The United States chose to fight what they saw as a harmful threat, provoking the start of the Cold War. Politicians had an important role in creating half-truths that painted the communists a deeper, and darker red color. This ideology was greatly influenced by the principles outlined by George F. Kennan, a diplomat and Soviet specialist. After much research, Kennan showed that the Soviet Union was prone to expansion. Kennan believed that the United States could prevent the Soviet Union from expanding if they â€Å"contained† them and used force as a last resort (The American Pageant, 869). â€Å"The American overreaction to itsShow MoreRelatedThe War Of The Cold War1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cold War was a state of political and military tension stemming from World War II fought primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union. 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Often pride is defined as â€Å"a feeling that you are more important or better than other people† (Pride). Mistrust on the other hand is the â€Å"feeling that someone is not honest and cannot be trusted†,Read MoreThe War Of The Cold War1737 Words   |  7 Pages Cold War The Cold War, which is often dated from 1945 to 1989, was a constant state of political and military tension between powers in the West, dominated by the United States with NATO among its allies, and powers in the East, dominated by the Soviet Union along with the Warsaw Pact. The development of Nuclear Weapons and long range shooting missiles by the United States gave a lot of fear and caused mass destruction. The Cold War came about after World War II when America used their atomic bombs

Reading Response Abel’s Island Free Essays

Chessman, this Is my reading response on Babel’s Island, It Is a Newbury Honor book by William Stein, a short, sweet, enjoyable story. This book have 117 pages, I love this book so much that I spend only one day to finish the whole book. This book Is about a little mouse, Babel’s adventure story on the Island, he encountered many problems, but also learned many meaningful things, and he became a better person after he finally returned home. We will write a custom essay sample on Reading Response Abel’s Island or any similar topic only for you Order Now I love all the things In this kook, all the exciting adventures of Able, all the lovely Illustrations, and all the beautiful writing by William Steel, he use all the most beautiful words In the world and created an island in the dream. I believe no matter what age you are at, anyone who have a heart that contains dream will love this sweet story by William Stein. – Summary: Able, the elegant mouse live in the Impossible is enjoying a picnic in the forest with his wife Amanda, but they are interrupted by a fierce rainstorm and are forced to take shelter in a cave nearby. There is already many animals in the cave, so Able and Amanda must stand on the edge. A hard wind blows up Manta’s scarf, Able bravely lump down and try to reach the scarf, he did reach it but the wind blows up Able into a river and he is swept downstream until he is stranded on an island. Able attempts to escape the island several times the day after the storm, even though he haven’t do any work at Impossible. He build a wood ship, but failed two times for crossing the river, then he decide to make a bridge, he first made of piled up stone, and he tried o build a straw bridge, but both of them didn’t work out. And finally realizes that he must survive on the island by himself. He finds a log and makes it his home in the winter. To ease his loneliness since he is the only animal that have wisdom on the Island, he creates his family out of clay and talks to them. Able also found a book called [Sons and Daughters] and a big pocket watch left by some big civilized creatures, these things give Able more fun and let him believe there will be some veiled animals to visits again and save him. In the harsh winter, Able has to live through the hardest times, including battling an owl, stores the food, and live under the darkness in the log. But everything became better when the spring comes, the owl Is gone, and another stranded volt from the river, a frog named Grower, comes and became best friends with Able. The had some really good times In the spring. Later, Grower leaves when the water of the river became warmer and promising that he will send for help when he gets back home. However, due to Grower’s lack of memory, Able didn’t receive any help after weeks passed. Able then decides to swim against the fierce river after the water level has dropped sufficiently, he think If he didn’t go this time, maybe he will waited to next year again. Then Able swim across to Impossible. Able go back to his house, his wife Amanda haven’t return, Able changed his best clothing and papered Manta’s scarf, he will have many, many stories to tell her! – Connections: In the book, I read that How to cite Reading Response Abel’s Island, Papers