Some details are clouded by contradictory statements and disinformation. But a pattern of rapid escalation brought the conflict to the brink of catastrophe.

This crisis looks very different from previous ones. The two sides are striking military airbases and major cities far beyond Kashmir. Their fighting involves cutting-edge technology from missiles and Israeli drones to Chinese warplanes that make it a laboratory for weaponry.

Fareed asks Foreign Policy Editor-in-Chief Ravi Agrawal about the American role in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and potential for future flare-ups between the two nuclear armed neighbors.