Brasstacks and Beyond: Perception and Management of Crisis in South Asia

Indo-Pakistan Relations Have Remained Crisis Prone Over The Last Decade--The Most Serious Emanating From The Brasstacks Exercise (1986-87), Which Carried Within It The Most Imminent Likelihood Of Another Indo-Pak War. This Study Is The First Systematic Attempt To Analyse The Indian, Pakistani And American Perceptions Of The Crisis By Scholars From These Countries.The Key Findings Are That The Crisis Probably Led Pakistan To Weaponise Its Nuclear Programme, That India Might Have Had Larger, Open Ended Goals, That Intelligence Available To All The Three Countries Was Substantial But Became Questionable At Critical Junctures; And That Hotline Communications Between India And Pakistan Were Not Used Due To Suspicion About Each Others Intentions. The Study Also Makes Prescriptive Suggestions To Avoid Such Confrontations In Future.