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

I’m thrilled to launch a new trilogy of double episodes: a lecture series by Professor Sarah Paine of the Naval War College, each followed by a deep Q&A.

In this first episode, Prof Paine talks about key decisions by Khrushchev, Mao, Nehru, Bhutto, & Lyndon Johnson that shaped the whole dynamic of South Asia today. This is followed by a Q&A.

Come for the spy bases, shoestring nukes, and insight about how great power politics impacts every region.

Huge thanks to Substack for hosting this!

Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform.

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Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro

(02:11) - Mao at war, 1949-51

(05:40) - Pactomania and Sino-Soviet conflicts

(14:42) - The Sino-Indian War

(20:00) - Soviet peace in India-Pakistan

(22:00) - US Aid and Alliances

(26:14) - The difference with WWII

(30:09) - The geopolitical map in 1904

(35:10) - The US alienates Indira Gandhi

(42:58) - Instruments of US power

(53:41) - Carrier battle groups

(1:02:41) - Q&A begins

(1:04:31) - The appeal of the USSR

(1:09:36) - The last communist premier

(1:15:42) - India and China's lost opportunity

(1:58:04) - Bismark's cunning

(2:03:05) - Training US officers

(2:07:03) - Cruelty in Russian history