This paper examines the factors responsible for longstanding Kashmir conflicts. Competing claims over Kashmir by India and Pakistan are the key sources of the conflicts. The claims and the consequences are the result of some historical events, but also of opposing ideologies of India and Pakistan. Responses associated with the claims from the both sides have engendered political extremism in Kashmir. Past policies of the U.S. and China toward the region, on the other hand, have instigated armed conflicts and contributed to the extremism.
