India’s Global Rise Imperiled by Perpetual Pakistan Conflict

India and Pakistan on Wednesday hit each other with military strikes for the sixth time since 1947, when Britain pulled out of the subcontinent and both nations won independence.

During that time the two countries have acquired nuclear weapons, which simultaneously has upped the ante for any conflict while also putting a ceiling on how far tensions will escalate. That dynamic appeared to be at play in the latest clash connected to the disputed region of Kashmir, with both governments on Wednesday emphasizing the non-escalatory nature of their actions even as Pakistan warned more may be coming.