Conflicted: A History Podcast
Untangling history’s greatest controversies. Every month, we take a hard look at the historical conflicts that raise difficult questions, stoke controversy, and send our moral compasses spinning.
The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 5: Thank God, They’ve Attacked Us
On December 3rd, 1971, India and Pakistan go to war on two fronts, battling for the future of Bangladesh. In the East, the Indian army races against time, hoping to capture Dacca and force a Pakistani surrender before the United Nations can demand a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger unleash a fusillade of diplomatic pressure to frighten a defiant Indira Gandhi into compliance. After months of imprisonment, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman learns what has happened to his country. The war ends, and a new era begins.
SOURCES:
Bass, Gary K. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide. 2013.
Bennet-Jones, Own. The Bhutto Dynasty. 2020.
Carney, Scott. Miklian, Jason. The Vortex: A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, an
Unspeakable War, and Liberation. 2022.
Chang, Jung. Halliday, Jon. Mao: The Unknown Story. 2005.
Frank, Katherine. Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi. 2001.
Gewen, Barry. The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and his World. 2020.
Hiro, Dilip. The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan. 2015.
Hitchens, Christopher. The Trial of Henry Kissinger. 2001.
Hoodbhoy, Pervez. Pakistan: Origins, Identity and Future. 2023.
Jalal, Ayesha. The Struggle for Pakistan. 2014.
James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. 1997.
Jayakar, Pupul. Indira Gandhi: A Biography. 1975.
Khosa, Faisal. The Making of Martyrs in India, Pakistan & Bangladesh. 2021.
K.S. Nair. December In Dacca. 2022.
Keay, John. India: A History. 2000.
Mookherjee, Nayanika. The Spectral Wound. 2015.
Raghavan, Srinath. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. 2013.
Rose, Leo. Sisson, Richard. War and Secession. Pakistan, India, and the Creation of Bangladesh. 1990.
Saikia, Yasmin. Women, War, and the Making of Bangladesh. 2011.
Schanberg, Sydney.”He Tells Full Story of Arrest and Detention.” New York Times Jan 1972
Schendel, Willem van. A History of Bangladesh. 2009.
Schwartz, Thomas Alan. Henry Kissinger and American Power. 2020.
Sengupta, Nitish. Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal. 2011.
Siddiqi, A. R. Yahya Khan: The Rise and Fall of a Soldier. 2020.
Tudda, Chris. A Cold War Turning Point: Nixon and China, 1969-1972. 2012.
Walsh, Declan. The Nine Lives of Pakistan. 2020.
Zakaria, Anam. 1971: A People’s History from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. 2019.
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