Sunil Dasgupta, Political Science, on East Asia Forum

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:30:31 -0500
asia, politics, usg

Sunil Dasgupta, director of UMBC’s political science program at the Universities at Shady Grove and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, has published a new East Asia Forum commentary on India’s potential responses to civil war in Pakistan. Dasgupta writes:

In 1971, India intervened militarily on behalf of Bengalis in the civil war in East Pakistan, dividing the country in two and helping to create Bangladesh. In 2013, prospects of another civil war in Pakistan — this time one that pits radical Islamists against the secular but authoritarian military — have led once again to questions about what India would do. What would trigger Indian intervention, and who would India support?

Dasgupta explores several key factors and possible scenarios before concluding that, given present and foreseeable conditions, “India is likely to sit out a Pakistani civil war while covertly coordinating policy with the United States.” Read the full article to learn more.

This write-up originally appeared in UMBC's Insights Weekly.