India and Pakistan: An Eternal Conflict!

Shooting for a Century: Finding Answers to the India–Pakistan Conundrum, by Stephen P. Cohen

That conflict and rivalry between India and Pakistan is likely to endure for several decades more, even up to the year 2047—a 100 years since their emergence as modern states—is the thesis of this compelling book written by Stephen P. Cohen. Hence the title, Shooting for a Century—a play on the cricketing term for scoring a 100 runs. Why would this be so? To answer this question, Cohen ranges over the entire gamut of India– Pakistan relations: the origins of their conflict; issues in dispute; mutual threat perceptions; varied opinions in each country about the other and how to deal with the other; multiple explanations for the underlying causes and persistence of the conflict; and third-party and unofficial diplomatic efforts undertaken so far to foster an accommodation. Although not a history per se of India–Pakistan relations, a fact which Cohen highlights, Shooting for a Century is at once an introduction to, a contemporary snapshot of, and a perspective on the dynamics of this relationship.