NEW YORK: History being taught about India and Pakistan needs to be relooked, said Prof Peter Kuznick of the department of history at the American University , Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Kuznick, who is also the director of American University’s Nuclear Studies Institute, said: “There is a lot of tension between the two countries. These two countries have a hundred nuclear bombs which could kill at least two billion people. There is so much poverty and that needs to be tackled first.”

Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of a press conference at the United Nations Correspondents Association in New York City, Kuznick said India should stay from the alliance the US has with China. “So far, India has maintained its integrity, and it should continue to do so,” he said.

Earlier, Kuznick released a book, ‘The Untold History of the United States,’ which he co-authored with film director Oliver Stone .

Speaking on the occasion he said, “People need to understand history as it is important to how they act today.” The year 2015 has several landmark anniversaries when it comes to war. This is the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War that happened between 1861 and 1865, it has been 100 years since poisonous gas was first used during the World War I, 70 years since atomic bombs were dropped in Japan and 40 years since the Vietnam War.

Kuznick emphasized the importance of education, especially at the university level. “Between 56% and 58% of Americans believe that the atomic bombs that were dropped in Japan ended the war and that it is justified. However, the atomic bomb had no influence in the thinking of Japanese leaders and the US knew this. Americans knew that the invasion of Japan by the USSR would end the war and yet Truman used the bomb,” he said.

