Territorial disputes hold immense importance among the many conflicts of interests between nations. This is particularly because territorial integrity is very significant to states as the very essence of nationalism is linked with territory; there is a sense of belonging to a particular land which leads people to identify with it. Thus, territorial disputes are very serious international conflicts that need to be dealt with accordingly.
If one looks at the example of India and Pakistan, one can see conclude how importance territory is to people. During the partition of the sub-continent, there were countless disputes over which city would belong to which nation. Although by 1947 these disputes were apparently solved, there is still a lingering border dispute between the two nations. The Kashmir issue is a complex case and is among one of the few disputed territories in the world today. The involvement of the UN has not been able to solve this dispute and the two countries have gone to war with each other twice over this piece of land, once in 1947 (immediately after partition) and again in 1965. This example demonstrates that the issue of territorial disputes is a delicate one which can be extremely long-lasting, depending on the circumstances. Furthermore, the Kashmiri people are stuck in a battle between two states while their wishes are almost completely overlooked.
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