The Quest for India-Pakistan Normalization
In light of the national security importance of India-Pakistan relations, USIP supports two Track-II dialogues on normalization between the two nuclear powers. On July 12, USIP convened a discussion with key participants from these dialogues and Congressional experts for a look ahead at outcomes to expect from reemerging official dialogue between India and Pakistan, and what these talks could mean for stability in South Asia.
As the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams met on the pitch in Mohali, India in March of this year, the presence of the Pakistani Prime Minister in the Indian Prime Minister's stadium box indicated that dialogue was reemerging between the two nuclear powers for the first time since the 2008 Mumbai attack.
Both sides have been candid in their admission that India-Pakistan normalization is critical to their interests and the manifestation of stable peace in the South Asian region. Despite this, little progress has been achieved in initial rounds of talks. Questions remain over whether this fresh impetus will last, and on what is required to ensure that the dialogue persists and leads to successful outcomes. Answers to these questions are crucial not only for the two parties involved but also for the U.S. interest to ensure stability in South Asia.
On July 12, USIP hosted a discussion of these central questions, led by a group of former senior officials and experts from both countries and the United States who, with the support of USIP's Pakistan program, participate in ongoing Track-II talks on regional normalization. Panelists discussed the major challenges to moving the India-Pakistan peace bid forward, and examine the potential of underexplored avenues, such as economic cooperation, as a vehicle for ameliorating tensions and bringing South Asia closer to sustainable peace.
Featuring:
- Ambassador Shamshad Ahmad, panelist
former Foreign Secretary
Islamic Republic of Pakistan - Jonah Blank, moderator
Policy Director for South Asia and Southeast Asia
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Majority Staff - Alexander Evans, moderator
Henry Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations
Library of Congress - Mohsin Khan, panelist
Senior Fellow
Petersen Institute for International Economics - Ambassador Dennis Kux, panelist
Senior Policy Scholar
Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars - Ambassador Lalit Mansingh, panelist
former Foreign Secretary
Republic of India - Congressman Jim McDermott, introductory remarks
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington State's 7th District; and
Founder, Congressional India and Indian-Americans Caucus - Michael Phelan, closing remarks
Senior Professional Staff Member
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations - Ambassador Teresita Schaffer, panelist
Non-Resident Senior Fellow
Brookings Institution - Inderjit Singh, panelist
Professor of Economics and Strategic Studies
National War College - William B. Taylor, remarks
Senior Vice President, Center for Conflict Management
United States Institute of Peace - Moeed Yusuf, remarks
South Asia Adviser
United States Institute of Peace
Explore Further
- Learn more about USIP's work in Pakistan
- Read the Peace Brief, "Optimism and Obstacles in India-Pakistan Peace Talks"
- Read the Special Report, "Hydropolitics in Pakistan's Indus River Basin"
- Watch footage of a March 11, 2011 event in Islamabad, Pakistan on Reflecting on Thimpu: the Future of the Pakistan-India Relationship
- Watch footage of a March 31, 2010 event in Lahore, Pakistan on Pakistan-U.S. Relations: the India Factor
- USIP Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention
Related Academy Courses
- Building Bridges through Intergroup Dialogue
- Overseas Religious Engagement
- Foundations of Conflict Analysis
