Speaker: Dr. Yelena Biberman (Skidmore College)
Date: 15 May 2025
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Yelena Biberman (Skidmore College) as part of its SMA India Speaker Series.
Kashmir has long been a region of contention between Pakistan and India, while many Kashmiris view themselves as belonging to neither nation. It was granted special status in the 1940s with a promise of plebiscite from the United Nations. In 2019, India revoked Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and the promise of plebiscite, making it known as the world’s most militarized zone, with police and military entities being granted special privileges to operate in the region as they see fit. Dr. Biberman noted that Kashmir’s population of 10 million people are policed by 750,000 paramilitary personnel. These paramilitary forces have taken over public and private buildings for their use. Military installations are often located near male-only religious universities and colleges, which India considers potential hotbeds for Islamic radicalization in Kashmir.
Dr. Biberman presented findings from surveys of students attending universities located both closest to and furthest from Indian military installations. She explained that this generation has been labeled “Generation Rage,” having grown up entirely within a highly militarized environment. Survey results showed that most Kashmiri youth felt at least a moderate degree of anxiety about the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy and believed it was very important for Kashmir to be part of a democratic society. Additional findings revealed that most Kashmiri students believed the military should intervene if a government becomes incompetent, and most supported the idea of Kashmir becoming an independent country. Remaining part of India or becoming part of Pakistan were the least popular options. There was also a strong sentiment that peace negotiations between India and Pakistan could be effective in bringing peace to the region.
Opinions were more divided on whether requesting assistance from Pakistan or continuing militancy and violence would be effective for achieving peace in Kashmir. However, two of the most widely agreed-upon options were the withdrawal of Indian troops and allowing Kashmiris to vote on their own future. While some Kashmiris expressed concerns about militant violence, the majority reported feeling unsafe due to the actions of Indian police and armed forces. Practices such as stop-and-frisk have significantly increased feelings of persecution and support for violent resistance in the region.
Speaker Session Recording
Briefing Materials
Biography: Dr. Yelena Biberman is an associate professor of political science at Skidmore College, associate at Harvard University’s Davis Center, and new voice at the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation. She was a Wilson China Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (2023-24), non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center (2016-25), and fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point (2020-21). She is currently completing a book on great-power rivalry in the age of emerging technologies, with a focus on biotechnology and its synergistic links with artificial intelligence, neurotechnology, nanotechnology, and robotics. Her first book, Gambling with Violence: State Outsourcing of War in Pakistan and India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019. Biberman’s work has appeared in numerous academic and policy venues, including the Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Strategic Studies, Strategic Studies Quarterly, Asian Security, Modern Asian Studies, Military Review, Foreign Policy, Texas National Security Review, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and Washington Post. Her work has been supported by various institutions, including the United States Institute of Peace, Fulbright Program, and Smith Richardson Foundation. She received her BA from Wellesley College, Master’s from Harvard University, and second Master’s and PhD from Brown University. She has also worked as a journalist in Moscow, Russia, and embassy policy specialist in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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