Presented by
Shuja Nawaz
Director, South Asia Center
Atlantic Council

Mohan Guruswamy (from New Delhi via Skype)
Senior Fellow, South Asia Center
Atlantic Council

Bharath Gopalaswamy
Deputy Director, South Asia Center
Atlantic Council

Please join the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center on April 24 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. for the public briefing and launch of a report entitled “India-Pakistan: The Opportunity Cost of Conflict.” Over the course of sixty-six years, India and Pakistan have continued an implacable rivalry marked by periodic wars and hostilities, and invested heavily in the acquisition of new and more lethal weapons systems. Yet increased spending has not brought foolproof security to either country, but instead has pulled resources from much-needed economic development in Pakistan and social investment in India, among other things.

What are both India and Pakistan foregoing in terms of economic development and social progress by continuing their military hostility and engaging in periodic conflict? With a new government in Pakistan and a new government currently being selected in India, there may be an opportunity to change the narrative of conflict between the two countries. The speakers will discuss the impact of this historic rivalry, and make recommendations for greater confidence building between the two rivals.