ABSTRACT
The intractable conflict between India and Pakistan has undergone a number of crises and wars, these being major characteristics of every other such conflict. What makes this regional conflict different from others is the way it divides into two periods – the pre-nuclear and the nuclear, the latter subdividing into the undeclared and the declared phases. The nuclear dimension brings a new element to the eruption, process, and characteristics of crises and wars. Those in the pre-nuclear period differed from those in the nuclear period. This chapter discusses the various crises and three wars that occurred between the parties to the conflict in the prenuclear period, demonstrating their propensity to escalate crises. It shows how easily the conflict reached a high degree of intensification on three occasions. It also demonstrates the connection between escalation and non-possession of nuclear weapons.
