Should we fear an imminent nuclear war?

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The biggest story nobody is talking about… and it doesn’t involve Trump

We can all breathe a sigh of relief after Pakistan agreed to free an Indian pilot it had shot down over its territory last week. It appears that the crisis is deescalating, for now. But this deescalation is far from permanent, and we can expect more tensions in the future.

How did this happen? We certainly don’t hear much about India and Pakistan in the American media. But in fact, it is the most likely flashpoint at which nuclear war could break out. Even if a nuclear war between Pakistan and India were limited to their territory, it is safe to assume that there would be global consequences.

The immediate crisis was precipitated by a terror attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 40 soldiers. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge the Pakistanis denied. With the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi facing re-election, he was intent on displaying foreign policy strength. As a result, he ordered Indian jets to attack alleged military targets in Pakistani territory.

Pakistan, of course, had to respond militarily, resulting in the Indian pilot flying his plane into Pakistani territory, at which point the Pakistanis shot him down.