War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir and Tibet
by Eric Margolis; Routledge, New York; 2000; pp 250; USD 22; ISBN: 0415927129
The Himalayan watershed of South Asia is an area of intense tension. Potential flashpoints could now lead to regional conflagrations that test the nuclear forbearance of the two main players. Geopolitical and internal disputes have created a belt of uncertainty from the Karakoram to the Eastern Himalaya, fading off into the Burmese Highlands. This stretch of mountain hosts some of the most inhospitable and beautiful terrains in the world, and mountaineers eye them with interest. Sadly, because these regions happen to be disputed frontiers, vast areas remain closed.
The area of the Himalaya across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China, has been the focus of attention in some recent books. One of these is Humphrey Huxley's Dragon Fire, a fictionalised account of conflict in this belt that steadily builds up to a nuclear climax involving China, India and Pakistan. Huxley's deft handling of geopolitical and military realities makes his account highly readable and credible. Besides, Dragon Fire does not pretend to be anything other than a plausible work of fiction. In contrast is Eric Margolis' War at the Top of the World, which outlines a similar scenario but presents it as analysis of the ground situation based on a study of facts. Yet, in many ways, Margolis' description of his travels and his futuristic predictions sound more fantastic than Huxley's fiction. If Margolis lacks Huxley's sure touch, it is surely because of his inadequate grasp of regional geopolitics and of even elementary facts.