The Kashmir Initiative

Less than two weeks before his election, President Obama identified finding diplomatic solutions to the Kashmir conflict as a “critical task for the next administration.” Kashmir’s geopolitical importance has increased drastically with the continuing war along Pakistan’s untamed western border and Afghanistan. Divided and disputed between India and Pakistan, Kashmir has seen conflict for the past 62 years. It has been identified by the U.S. government as the world’s most militarized dispute. There are more than 500,000 troops in Indian-administered Kashmir alone. This conflict is however more than a territorial dispute between two nuclear powers. As states negotiate solutions, the voice of Kashmiris who have suffered internal conflict and human rights abuses must not be lost in the cacophony of realpolitik. The Center’s new Kashmir Initiative hopes to bring inclusive dialogue and broader awareness around this complex issue.