In India-controlled Kashmir, decades of political repression and heavy-handed military presence have led separatist movements to call for independence. But negotiations over Kashmir’s future are a nonstarter for the Indian government. Kashmir exists at the heart of India’s rivalry with Pakistan—the neighbors have fought two wars over the disputed territory. For India, control over Kashmir is not only about the region’s crucial water resources; it’s also a part of Indian nationalism amid a seventy-year feud with Pakistan.Share
The stakes are even higher for diverse countries with multiple self-determination movements. These countries’ governments worry a successful separatist movement in one part of the country could inspire separatists in another. They see caving to the demands of one group as creating a precedent for the unraveling of the country as a whole.
