ABSTRACT
T h e latent conflict between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan makes continued strategic stability in South Asia uncertain. A breakdown of deterrence between the two countries would have serious consequences, including the potential use of nuclear weapons. Since 1999 there have been two military crises involving India and Pakistan that escalated to the point where outside actors felt the need to intervene to prevent the outbreak of war. A low-level, Pakistani-backed insurgency in Indian-controHed Kashmir adds to the tense relations between the two nations. Given the nuclear dimension involved, as well as India's increasingly prominent role in world affairs and Pakistan' s domestic instability, strategic and military developments on the subcontinent are of great concern to the broader international community.
