1st Edition

Nicholas Kaldor and the Real World

By Marjorie Shepherd Turner Copyright 1993

    First Published in 1994. Nicholas Kaldor was born in Hungary in 1908 and died as Baron Kaldor of Newnham in the City of Cambridge, England, in 1986. The years between revealed no hint of scandal or psychological problems that might make Kaldor the subject of a novel. His life was, instead, a straight line of growth and achievement, of intellectual enjoyment and strong values. Kaldor's struggles were intellectual-namely, his efforts to comprehend the economics of the real world, to fit this understanding into economic theory, and to convince his fellow citizens and economists of the accuracy of his perceptions. Kaldor forces us to ponder what the relationship between economic theory and practice should be.

    The nuclear test explosions in India and Pakistan in 1998, followed by the outbreak of hostilities over Kashmir in 1999, marked a frightening new turn in the ancient, bitter enmity between the two nations. Although the tension was eclipsed by the events of 9/11 and the subsequent American attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, it has not disappeared, as evidenced by the 2001 attack in the Indian Parliament by Islamic fundamentalists out of Kashmir. By 2002, these two nuclear-armed neighbors seemed to be once again on the brink of war. This book outlines the strategic structure of the rivalry and the dynamic forces driving it, and investigates various possible solutions. The expert contributors focus on the India-Pakistan rivalry, but also consider the China factor in South Asia's nuclear security dilemma. Although essentially political-strategic in its approach, the book includes coverage of opposing military arsenals and the impact of local terrorism on the delicate balance of power.

    Biography

    Marjorie Shepherd Turner