The Three Images of War and Indo-Pak Conflicts: An Investigation of Causal Factors

Abstract

The agenda of decolonization is animosity. Using Kenneth Waltz’s three images of war (individual, state level, and systemic), this article thoroughly examines the three major conflicts that have broken out between India and Pakistan. Since both countries gained independence from the British, ties between India and Pakistan, have been tense. South Asian instability directly results from repeated conflicts between the two countries. The dread of a nuclear conflict that could wipe out all human civilization is a new factor in the India-Pakistan conflict, exacerbated by the spread of nuclear weapons in the region. Foreign strategists and actors from both nations have tried to understand what drives tensions between these longtime adversaries. However, only some have looked at the Indo-Pak conflict from three images of war. This research uses Waltz’s three images of war as a prism to analyse the wars that have broken out between India and Pakistan and offer suggestions for how the two war-weary neighbors can avert another catastrophic conflict. The article is grounded in qualitative research. It investigates the past to find relationships and causes that have modern-day relevance. Structural Realism (Neorealism), primarily articulated by Kenneth Waltz, serves as the theoretical foundation for this investigation. Additionally, this article speculates the likelihood of future confrontations between India and Pakistan based on Waltz’s three conceptions of war.