Security Nexus perspective, “Where Maps Blur and Rivers Speak: China, India, and the Contest for the Eastern Himalayas,” by Shyam Tekwani, explores a rising flashpoint in South Asia where geopolitics, geography, and water security converge.

As India suspends the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, this piece shifts focus eastward to the tri-junction of India, China, and Bhutan—a region marked by contested borders, spiritual significance, and increasingly fragile stability. Tekwani highlights the strategic importance of Arunachal Pradesh, where infrastructure build-up, unresolved territorial claims, and water disputes heighten the risk of conflict without warning or reliable de-escalation mechanisms.

From the silence of mountain patrols to the contested flow of the Brahmaputra River, the article traces how missteps—diplomatic, cartographic, or hydrological—could escalate into unintended crisis. With no trilateral crisis protocols, water-sharing treaties, or robust communication frameworks in place, the region remains dangerously exposed to miscalculation.

Tekwani calls for urgent policy innovation to match the geopolitical stakes: coordinated water governance, formalized crisis architecture, and sustainable dialogue that respects both elevation and emotion. In a frontier shaped by altitude and ambiguity, he warns, inaction is a decision with consequences.

Read the Security Nexus Paper: https://dkiapcss.edu/nexus_articles/where-maps-blur-and-rivers-speak/

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of DKI APCSS, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) of the linked websites, or the information, products, or services contained therein. DoD does not exercise any editorial, security, or other control over the information you may find at these sites.