Based on sources not easily accessible to Western scholars, this volume argues that conventional warfare has been limited in South Asia from the very beginning, for reasons both cultural and realpolitik.

Introduction 1. Origins of the Indian and Pakistan Armed Forces 2. The First India-Pakistan War 3. The China-India War 4. The Second India-Pakistan War 5. The Bangladesh War 6. The Kargil War 7. Planning for Future War Conclusion

Scott Gates is Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo, Norway and Director Centre for the Study of Civil War, Peace Research Institute Olso (PRIO), Norway.

Kaushik Roy is Guru Nanak Chair Professor at the Department of History, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India and Global Fellow at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Norway.