The Opinion article “To avoid fallout, support India” properly asserts that while the United States should try to defuse India-Pakistan tensions, we must do so in a way that recognizes India as the premier power in South Asia.  As such, it needs nuclear weapons as a deterrent against both Pakistan and China.

   As the writer, University of Chicago political science Professor John J. Mearsheimer, says, nuclear weapons bring a level of stability through deterrence that conventional weapons cannot.  Such a deterrent causes rivals to consider the different and higher stakes before going to the brink, decreasing the chances of an actual war.

   The U.S. needs to take Mr. Mearsheimer’s advice and follow up on President Clinton’s recent trip by explaining the lessons learned from our near-confrontations with the former Soviet Union.

   Not using our clout to de-escalate the dangers involved, with the dispute over Kashmir showing no signs of easing and in view of Pakistan’s political instability due to economic stagnation and uncertain leadership, could bring peril to a region whose key players remain locked in a zero-sum, confrontational relationship.