“It caused important organisational, doctrinal and technological shifts in both militaries,” he says, “but I do not believe either military has substantially changed its thinking about the relative balance of power between it and its neighboring foe.”
What may have changed instead is the threshold for future escalation.
Bisaria describes the post-conflict environment as “a new normal with some degree of strategic ambiguity”.
“That ambiguity tells you that every act of terrorism will be an act of war,” he says. “This will resume if there’s any more terrorism over a certain threshold.” (Delhi blamed the attack on tourists on Pakistan-based militant groups – an allegation Islamabad denied.)
India’s signaling after the conflict suggested future retaliation may extend beyond militant groups to the Pakistani military itself. “Terrorists and their backers will be treated the same way,” Bisaria says, echoing the Indian government’s position.
READ MORE ON THE NEXT PAGE..
