'Competition for water in the Indus Valley has been a major example of competition for this key resource in the modern world. In this outstanding book, Haines demonstrates the local, national and international forces at work in producing the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. It is a major contribution both to the history of decolonisation and of the environment.'
Francis Robinson, Professor of the History of South Asia, Royal Holloway, University of London
'Through the Subcontinent's long-running disputes and water-sharing agreements, Haines offers a distinctive, fresh account of how new states emerged in South Asia. Rather than viewing state-building as purely ideological or constitutional, Haines shows how everything, from peasants concerns to Cold War development projects, shaped ideas and realities of Indo-Pakistani sovereignty.'
Faisal Devji, Reader in Indian History, St Antony's College Oxford and author of Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea
'Rivers Divided deftly takes a history of rivers into the realms of state-building, sovereignty negotiation and national identity. Sensitive to the distinctive post-colonial and Cold War contexts, Haines' unique contribution lies in addressing longer-term processes, not iconic events, intensively exploiting newly available archives in India, Pakistan, the U.K. and U.S.'
Philip Brown, Professor of History, Ohio State University
'Excellent and highly readable . . . gripping . . . an excellent contribution to historicizing notions of territory.'