On April 22, militants launched a brutal assault on a tourist site in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing 26 civilians in what became the deadliest terrorist attack in India in nearly 15 years. What followed was the most intense military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades—airstrikes, drone attacks, and a terrifying cycle of escalation that threatened to spiral out of control. Then, suddenly, came a ceasefire on May 10.

But why? And will it hold?

In today’s episode, I speak with Debak Das, Assistant Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, to unpack the deeper roots of the Kashmir dispute and why it remains such a dangerous flashpoint between two nuclear-armed rivals. We explore how this crisis escalated so quickly—and why it stopped just short of the brink. Debak also offers sharp insight into the precariousness of the current ceasefire and what might come next.

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