Challenging the Westphalian view of international relations, whichfocuses on the sovereignty of states and the inevitable potential forconflict, the authors from the Borderlands Study Group reconceiveborders as capillaries enabling the flow of material, cultural, and socialbenefits through local communities, nation-states, and entire regions. Byemphasizing local agency and regional interdependencies, this metaphorreconfigures current narratives about the China-India border and opens anew perspective on the long history of the Silk Roads, the modern BCIMInitiative, and dam construction along the Nu River in China and theTeesta River in India.

Together, the authors show that positive interaction among people onboth sides of a border generates larger, cross-border communities,which can pressure for cooperation and development. India China offersthe hope that people divided by arbitrary geo-political boundaries cancircumvent race, gender, class, religion, and other social barriers, to formmore inclusive institutions and forms of governance.