Sarah Paine — The war for India (lecture & interview)

This podcast features an interview where a U.S. government employee (Speaker 1) discusses Cold War geopolitical strategies concerning India and Pakistan. The interviewee analyzes pivotal decisions made by the U.S., Russia, and China, focusing on the impact of alliances and the concept of "limited wars." Speaker 1 uses a "cutthroat billiards" metaphor to illustrate the complexities of navigating shifting alliances and achieving strategic goals, highlighting the US's difficulty in simultaneously befriending both India and Pakistan due to their inherent rivalry. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding a nation's primary adversary and the long-term consequences of short-term strategic choices, illustrated by the example of the U.S. arming Pakistan, which negatively impacted relations with India. The interview concludes with reflections on the Cold War's impact and the challenges of predicting future geopolitical shifts, particularly concerning the relationship between China and Russia.