Non-state actors and third-party intervention

The vicious attack on sundry sites in India’s financial capital Mumbai by a small band of young terrorists has of most recent time been the focus of media attention worldwide -- more so in that it was reported to have primarily targeted visitors of Western extraction. The immediate reaction of India’s press and TV channels (and even India’s Prime Minister) was to parcel off blame to Pakistan. This was not surprising as a number of issues remain outstanding between the two neigbouring countries, not least the one concerning the disputed territory of Kashmir, where the Muslim majority populace continues to protest the presence of the huge contingent of Indian troops to oversee the contentious state elections in process.