The triangular competition in Southern Asia appears to be intensifying and posing challenges to stability. In China, India, and Pakistan, new conventional and strategic capabilities are coming online while old ones are being overhauled. Strategic doctrines may be evolving along with core interests and threat perceptions. Analysts debate whether such patterns constitute military modernization that enhances security or an arms race that threatens it.
The Stimson Center South Asia Program hosted a conference on competitive strategic developments on the subcontinent, including relevant drivers, dynamics, and potential effects. The panels and participants offered assessments of trends in the air, land, and maritime domains of China, India, and Pakistan.
Panel 1: Cold Start and Frozen Conflict: Competitive Dynamics on Air and Land
The first panel, “Cold Start and Frozen Conflict: Competitive Dynamics on Air and Land,” featured Brigadier (Ret.) Gurmeet Kanwal (Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses), Sannia Abdullah (Sandia National Labs), and Oriana Skylar Mastro (Georgetown University).
Check out Brigadier Kanwal’s slides here:
Panel 2: Boomers, Baburs, and Bastions: Competitive Maritime Developments
The second panel, “Boomers, Baburs, and Bastions: Competitive Maritime Developments,” featured Nilanthi Samaranayake (CNA), Chris Clary (University at Albany), and Iskander Rehman (Salve Regina University).
Engage through Live Webcast & Twitter:
In addition to Washington-based colleagues, the Stimson Center invites those outside the District to tune in via conference livestreams and on Twitter. This event was live tweeted by SAV. To get more of a taste of the conversation on Twitter, check out this conference ‘Twitter Moment‘ and follow @SAVoices!