New Delhi, Nov. 19 -- A possible war between India and China remains a much-debated subject, especially in Western strategic and media circles. Certainly, both nations must plan for such an eventuality, any responsible military must. Yet the chances of an all-out conflict between the two neighbours remain remote.

In the early 1960s, China was reeling from the disastrous aftermath of the Great Leap Forward. The country was struggling even to feed its people, let alone sustain a prolonged war. India, by contrast, was on a relatively economic upturn but lost the 1962 conflict largely because it was unprepared -militarily, politically, and psychologically. Today, the situation is very different. A war with India is no longer a walkover for C...