{"product_id":"9781849046220","title":"Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris","description":"In 1846, the British created the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J\u0026amp;K) - popularly called \"Kashmir\" - and then quickly sold this prized region to the wily and powerful Raja, Gulab Singh. Intriguingly, had they retained it, the India-Pakistan dispute over possession of the state may never have arisen, but Britain's concerns lay elsewhere -- expansionist Russia, beguiling Tibet and unstable China \"circling\" J\u0026amp;K -- and their agents played the 'Great Game' in Afghanistan and 'Turkistan'.  Snedden contextualizes the geo-strategic and historical circumstances surrounding the British decision to relinquish prestigious 'Kashmir', and explains how they and four Dogra maharajas consolidated and controlled J\u0026amp;K subsequently. He details what comprised this diverse princely state with distant borders and disunified peoples and explains the Maharaja of J\u0026amp;K's controversial accession to India on 26 October 1947 - and its unintended consequences.  Snedden weaves a compelling narrative that frames the Kashmir dispute, explains why it continues, and assesses what it means politically and administratively for the divided peoples of J\u0026amp;K and their undecided futures.","brand":"Hurst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47153600463088,"sku":"9781849046220","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781849046220_p0.jpg?v=1763751807","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781849046220","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}