Operation Sindoor
By 
In writing my “Five Flashpoints” post yesterday I read a couple of excellent articles on Operation Sindoor. They were so good that I decided to build out the discussion of that particular flashpoint:
There are deep causes for the enduring rift between India and Pakistan, ones dear to both sides and unlikely to go away anytime soon. However, tensions on the subcontinent have always been affected by geopolitical considerations.
Despite expectations of a major shift in alignment, India continues to depend on Russia, and Pakistan continues to depend on China, while the United States plays an ambiguous, hard-to-predict role.
Especially worrying is the fact that no one seems all that serious about making it easier to apply the brakes in a new major conflagration.
Russia is too vulnerable and the United States too detached to exert real pressure, while China is more focused on the Western Pacific and internal issues.
Two nuclear-capable antagonists, each emboldened by perceived success and with real grievances against one another, is an extremely dangerous recipe.
Not terrific, and Trump’s hapless effort to create a lasting peace was about as helpful as his efforts in Ukraine and in Congo… although at long last there may be a little bit of movement on the former.
Photo Credit: By Sanil Nath – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=162202008