Srinagar, May 18 -- By Dr Sohail Nasti

History keeps delivering the same lesson with brutal clarity: wars begin with declarations of strength and end with exhausted governments searching for dialogue.

Statesmen who dismiss diplomacy at the outset eventually return to it after cities collapse, economies bleed, and millions lose their homes.

The tragedy lies in the timing. Diplomacy enters after destruction has already rewritten entire societies.

That design defines much of modern geopolitics.

Military action now comes with speed and certainty, while diplomatic engagement struggles for political attention. Governments celebrate decisive action and frame negotiation as delay. Public discourse rewards confrontation, social media amplifie...