Christopher Clary: Reflections on the May 2025 India-Pakistan Crisis

Christopher Clary, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and Nonresident Fellow with the Stimson South Asia program, joins South Asia program director Elizabeth Threlkeld for a special episode on the one-year anniversary of the May 2025 India-Pakistan crisis. This conversation revisits the crisis and learnings over the past year, explores lessons from the Iran conflict for South Asia, and looks toward the future of India-Pakistan strategic competition. *** OUTLINE 0:00 Introduction 1:50 Reflections on Four Days in May 4:40 New Systems and Attempts at Precise Signaling 8:22 Nuclear Dimension of the Crisis and Third Parties 13:30 Learning on Acquisitions 19:22 Organizational Changes 25:26 Iran Conflict Lessons on Air Defense and Maritime Warfare 31:50 Iran Lessons on Major Conventional Conflict 38:20 Emerging Technologies and Asymmetric Access 43:00 Battlefield Transparency and Survivability of Strategic Forces 46:00 Role of Third-Party Crisis Managers *** Sources Referenced Four Days in May: The India-Pakistan Crisis of 2025 https://www.stimson.org/2025/four-day... *** Full Guest Biography: Christopher Clary is a Nonresident Fellow with Stimson’s South Asia program, and an associate professor of political science at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation, U.S. defense policy, and the politics of South Asia. His most recent book, The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia, was published in 2022. *** Strategic Learning is an online initiative offering free courses and resources on strategic issues in Southern Asia and beyond. By explaining concepts and providing access to a wide range of expert viewpoints, we help students and analysts improve their analytical skills and knowledge on matters of deterrence and strategy. Strategic Learning’s newest course, Naval Competition in the Indian Ocean Region, dives deep into strategic dynamics and deterrence at sea. Naval Competition in the Indian Ocean Region evaluates the technical requirements, policy drivers, emerging trends, and risks related to sea-based deterrence in the Indian Ocean Region through interactive features, text explainers, and video interviews with more than 30 scholars and practitioners from Pakistan, India, China, the United States, and beyond. Learn more and enroll at stratlearning.org. *** Join your fellow Strategic Learners across social media and stay in the know on course content, video lectures, and new developments about our initiatives!   / stratlearning   https://www.x.com/stratlearning *** Disclaimer: This show is part of Strategic Learning’s mission to bring in voices from across the region and beyond, offering a wide range of perspectives on key concepts and current events. Our guests share their own views, and we know that you may see things differently. Our aim is simply to share thoughtful analysis from people who’ve spent time wrestling with these issues — and to give you more to think about as you explore them in your own way.  Strategic Learning’s intention is to provide an analytical toolkit for further study of these complex issues, and we encourage you to use what you learn in this video to come to your own conclusions. Date recorded: April 28, 2026