How coronavirus and the China threat have Modi seeking peace on India's western front

After long periods of tough muscular posturing, India is pivoting to backchannel diplomacy on its troublesome western frontier. In Afghanistan, India has opened an unprecedented dialogue track with the Taliban for the first time. With Pakistan, months of backchannel talks have yielded some ground. Earlier this year, the two countries resumed talks over the shared Indus River, resolved uncertainty over visas for Pakistani cricketers and reached an understanding on long-pending visas for each other's diplomats. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited leaders from the restive Kashmir valley for talks in New Delhi. Each of these developments is a significant…