Srinagar, Aug. 15 -- History rarely repeats itself, but it has a way of whispering the same warnings.

Across Asia and Africa, old regimes left societies divided along lines of caste, religion, or region. Some leaders saw the danger and tried to rise above it, calling for unity, local self-reliance, and a sense of shared purpose that could bind communities together.

Kashmir today carries echoes of that past.

The region's social and political fabric, already fragile, is slowly fraying.

The historian E.H. Carr called history "an unending dialogue between the present and the past."

That dialogue is tacitly unfolding across the valley, only becoming visible when its effects can no longer be ignored.

This year's Muharram processions, inte...