We are neighbors and we are quite capable of talking with each other. In fact, the South Asian rivals seem entirely unable to speak with each other. That is why the specter of armed conflict, even nuclear war, hangs over the region. In this chilly climate, Clinton's imminent visit to South Asia will not generate much neighborly warmth. There will be no breakthrough on Kashmir, nor on nuclear-arms control.
Some critics carp that the trip is just a tourist jaunt by a lame-duck president.
But Clinton will have to tread carefully. The pitfalls were clearly highlighted in the ruckus over whether he would or wouldn't go to Pakistan. A stop had been cast in doubt after Gen. Pervez Musharraf ousted Islamabad's elected government last October in a military coup. Islamabad countered that a trip to India that skipped Pakistan would increase tensions between the two. In the end, the White House said the president would stop for a few hours in Pakistan after a five-day visit in India.