It looks like the situation between India and Pakistan is getting better as both sides pursue peace.
The reasons for this spring warming trend – initiated by India – are still coming to light. But they range from the swift US victory in Iraq and mounting concern over nuclear proliferation and terrorism to a legacy quest by India’s ailing prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Diplomats here say this may be the best chance in years to defuse tensions between two nuclear powers that have fought three wars in the past half century. "The most interesting thing about these peace moves is that they come when absolutely nothing is happening on the ground," says a Western diplomat who monitors the Kashmir dispute closely.
While it would be nice to think that US diplomacy pushed things over the edge, the reality is that neither Vajpayee nor Musharraf have anything to gain by going to war. To the contrary, a war between the two nuclear powers would be nearly unthinkable and would result in millions of casualties. Neither side is willing to entertain such an option. In such a situation, negotiation becomes the only option.
(Link via InstaPundit)
