ThinkTankWeekly

Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia

Foreign Affairs | 2026-04-21 | china_indopacific

Topics: Indo-Pacific, Middle East

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English Summary

The analysis details how the British partitioning of the Indian Empire, spanning multiple phases, disregarded existing ethnic and cultural realities. This arbitrary border drawing transformed complex, syncretic societies into rigid nationalistic entities, leading to mass displacement and conflict. The resulting geopolitical boundaries are therefore not merely administrative lines, but primary sources of deep-seated regional instability. Policymakers must recognize that state boundaries drawn without regard for local demographics are key drivers of conflict and require nuanced diplomatic engagement.

中文摘要

本分析詳細闡述了英國對印度帝國進行的、跨越多個階段的分割行為,如何忽視了既有的族群和文化現實。這種武斷的邊界劃定,將複雜、融合的社會結構轉變為僵化的民族主義實體,從而導致了大規模的流離失所和衝突。因此,由此產生的地緣政治邊界,並非僅僅是行政線,而是深層次區域不穩定的主要根源。政策制定者必須認識到,若不顧及當地人口結構而劃定的國家邊界,是衝突的主要驅動因素,並需要採取細膩且周到的外交參與來處理。

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