Armed Coexistence

This book is the first to comprehensively explore the origins and reasons behind the Sino-Indian border dispute's intractability. Utilising an array of accurate maps, tables, archival and scholarly research, this book shows how an ambiguous frontier became a contested border and how it has become relatively pacified yet remaining unresolved. Unlike previous examinations, however, this book also provides a theoretically based explanation as to why it is so difficult for an interstate border dispute to be resolved. By examining a wide range of salient actors, from state leaders to the individual governing organisations to the State itself, it is shown that it is usually in their interest to maintain the status quo rather than seek some form of resolution, thereby ensuring that the border dispute remains intractable. With both China and India shaping up to be major powers throughout the twenty-first century, a detailed examination of the major issue of contention between them is more pertinent now than ever.

Stephen P. Westcott received his Masters in International Relations from the University of Western Australia and his PhD in Politics from Murdoch University. His research interests include Indo-Pacific geopolitics, South Asian security and issues concerning terrorism/counter-terrorism. Currently he is a postdoctoral research associate at Murdoch University, where he teaches International Relations and Global Security, and is the book review editor for the Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs.