Nuclear weapons and conflict in south asia stephen p. A number of important strategic issues have been raised by these. At the same time, pakistan has sunk deeper into chaos, threatened by economic collapse, the weakening of political institutions and, most of all, a taliban insurgency that aims to bring down the. There is reason to believe nuclear capability may make the chances of war worse in south asia. Extraregional linkages and consequences 6 the china factor in south asian nuclear politics 93 binoda kumar mishra 7 south asias nuclear deterrence and the usa 1 bhumitra chakma. Nuclear politics in south asia, by suresh dhanda, new delhi, regal publications, 2010, 356pp. This book is an exhaustive historical account of the nuclear security of india and pakistan which has brought the south asian region at the peril of a nuclear holocaust. The politics of nuclear weapons in south asia request pdf. This forced pakistan to work seriously on its nuclear program with a fast pace. Nuclear politics and strategy in south asia south asia journal.
When colonialism collapsed in the wake of world war ii, south asia was seen as the leader in the development of what was called the third world. South asia who promoted nuclear weapons in the two countries with the promise of. Online the politics of nuclear weapons in south asia ebook pdf download. The strategic framework in south asia is comprised of a bipolar equation between india and pakistan, interconnected with a regional security complex and other major powers. The role of experts in the creation of cooperative nuclear nonproliferation agreements routledge. An important and critical reevaluation of south asia s posttests nuclear politics, in contrast to other books, this volume emphasises the political dimension of south asia s nuclear weapons, explains how the bombs are used as politicostrategic assets rather than pure battlefield weapons and how india and pakistan utilise them for politico. She is currently writing a book on global nuclear order, due to be published by routledge in 2019. We believe this book of essays by prominent american, pakistani. Most countries in the region experienced colonization before becoming independent sovereign states. Nuclear facility attack database nufad sources march. Potential consequences of nuclear politics in south asia. Nuclear weapons in south asia have both precipitated one limited war not gate datasheet pdf kargil. The emergence and consequences of nuclear weapons in south asia can only be understood in the context of a history of hos tility punctuated by war. Lessons from south asia bcsia studies in international security belfer center studies in international security hagerty, devin t.
A guide to india, pakistan, and the bombis available for free at nuclear south asia is the most comprehensive collection of perspectives regarding india and pakistans nuclear trajectories available online. Pdf ebook files for this publication are available. The first nuclear learning coursenuclear south asia. Apr 06, 2015 at the same time, pakistan has sunk deeper into chaos, threatened by economic collapse, the weakening of political institutions and, most of all, a taliban insurgency that aims to bring down the. Governments in south asia have pursued national security through. South asias lessons, evolving dynamics, and trajectories.
The 1998 nuclear tests by india and pakistan dramatically worsened the secur ity situation for. Assessing interests and influences summary over the course of 2010, china has taken a more conciliatory official approach toward recent north korean provocations, putting it at odds with south korea, japan, and the united states. Nuclear politics in south asia by suresh dhanda, 2010 isbn. R ecommendations for a new administration 9 acknowledgements as chairs of the task force on uschina policy, we would both like to extend our deepest appreciation to all those who helped us in our work and without whom this project would have never come to fruition.
A guide to india, pakistan, and the bombis available for free at nuclear south asia is the most comprehensive collection of perspectives regarding india. Nuclear doctrines in south asia 4 south asian strategic stability unit nuclear pessimists, however, has tended to neglect the critical role that nuclear doctrines of the emerging nuclear weapon states might play in either causing deterrence failure or ensuring its. The third stage in the development of ad hoc security multilateralism in northeast asia came with the establishment of the six party talks as a mechanism for dealing with the second north korean nuclear crisis, following the discovery of an alleged covert north korean. Deterrence instability and nuclear weapons in south asia. Courtesy of himal southasian, january 2007 the southasia. During the gestation period of covert development of their nuclear weapons, india and pakistan underwent a series of military. A recent essay by robert kaplan offers fascinating insight into south asias. Both countries had possessed nuclear weapons long before 1998. With the reciprocal testing of nuclear weapons, india and pakistan emerged from the world of threshold status to an overt posture which has yet to be fully defined. Cohensouth asia nuclear futures2nicola machiavelli, kautilyas western counterpart, noted that luck or fortune played a greater role in the course of politics than any other factor. Its main takeaways suggest that rather than forming an alliance, china and. This recent spate of nuclear capable missile tests in south.
An important and critical reevaluation of south asias posttests nuclear politics. The sixth edition of this classic text adds new selections that highlight emerging issues including terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear politics marks an important step forward in our understanding of nuclear proliferation. With gratitude and pride i present stimsons latest south asia program book, investigating crises. The strategic landscape of south asia changed dramatically in 1998. New case studies from kosovo, afghanistan, iraq and south asia are also used to illustrate the general principles behind the use of force. India announced its formal entry to the nuclear weapons club in. In 20, stimson launched a new website, south asian voices. Instead, use of nuclear weapons is more likely to result from escalation of conventional conflict, inadvertent targeting of nuclear weapons, or accidental or unauthorized launch.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of nuclear arsenals, nuclear ambitions and nuclear threats across different parts of asia. The consequences of south asias nuclear revolution springerlink. Nuclear politics in asia by marzieh kouhi esfahani, ariabarzan mohammadi. Escalation control and the nuclear option in south asia.
Pdf the requirements of nuclear stability in south asia. Strategic framework of south asia is comprised of the bipolar equation between indiapakistan, interconnected with regional security complex and other major powers. Jun 15, 2015 kidwais remarks have reopened the debate over south asias nuclear stability. Preface t is with great pleasure that i present the latest publication of the stimson centers south asia program, escalation control and the nuclear option in south asia. May 09, 2003 they argued that nuclear deterrence had kept the peace between the united states and the soviet union during the cold war and that it could do the same in south asia. An important and critical reevaluation of south asias posttests nuclear politics, in contrast to other books, this volume emphasises the political dimension of south asias nuclear weapons, explains how the bombs are used as politicostrategic assets rather than pure battlefield weapons and how india and pakistan utilise them for politicostrategic purposes in an extremely complex and. Unlike other books, this volume emphasises the political dimension of south asias nuclear weapons, explains how the bombs are used as politicostrategic assets rather than pure battlefield weapons and how they are employed by india and pakistan in an extremely complex and competitive south asian strategic. This book is an exhaustive historical account of the nuclear security of india and pakistan which has brought the south asian region at the peril of a.
Nuclear doctrines in south asia 4 south asian strategic stability unit nuclear pessimists, however, has tended to neglect the critical role that nuclear doctrines of the emerging nuclear weapon states might play in either causing deterrence failure or ensuring its robustness. South asias emerging military postures and challenges for regional stability. This recent spate of nuclearcapable missile tests in south. Kidwais remarks have reopened the debate over south asias nuclear stability. Nuclear weapons and indian politics the nuclear tests were influenced by indias domestic politics in at least. The containment and prevention of nuclear proliferation, especially in asia, continues to be a grave concern for the international community. This volume builds on three decades of stimson research and writing on the threat of conflict in south asia.
The geopolitics of south asian political stability the. Opinion nuclear fears in south asia the new york times. In south asia, it is believed that peace and stability can only come about with nuclear weapons. The recent nuclear deal between india and the us is also indicative of how energy and power politics are linked and how these new interlinkages underlie relations between states. The geopolitics of south asian political stability the diplomat. In addition to presenting the fundamental conceptual approaches to understanding the politics of nuclear issues in the region, this course examines how these and other realworld policy challenges are playing out against the backdrop of a region in the midst of a major power transition. Nuclear relations in south asia unt digital library. The politics of nuclear weapons in south asia mobipocket. In recent years, however, the region has not received the scholarly attention that it deserves. East asia, south east asia, south asia, central asia and europe. This briefing book contains material from the national security archives project on u.
Potential consequences of nuclear politics in south asia oped. With the passage of time, the indous nuclear deal and nuclear suppliers group nsg waiver have already added more repercussions and now the discriminatory move to try to facilitate indian nsg membership will further erode the strategic stability in south asia. This firstrate symposium of scholars and former government officials goes far toward filling the gap by focusing on the international relations and. Ian hall argues that nuclear stability in south asia from 1998 onward was largely a result of indias military weakness, but he also pointed out that india is unlikely to remain weak for much.
At least three factors shape chinas interactions with north korea. Interests and influences united states institute of peace. Nuclear politics and regional order the asia foundation. Benoit pelopidas may 3, 2016 project on a stable transition to a new nuclear order workshop on south asia. A guide to india, pakistan, and the bomb provides the emerging generation of strategic analysts in india, pakistan, and elsewhere a platform to study nuclear competition and dangers on the subcontinent. Southern asias nuclear powers council on foreign relations. Kapur thus believes nuclear weapons have been a destabilizing force in south asia and could similarly affect other parts of the world. Turning points and nuclear choices, international security, 234, spring 1999. The geopolitics of south asian political stability. Lessons from south asia bcsia studies in international security belfer center studies in international security. An important and critical reevaluation of south asias posttests nuclear politics, in contrast to other books, this volume emphasises the political dimension of.
Asia has the worlds highest concentration of nuclear weapons and the most significant recent developments related to nuclear proliferation, as well as the worlds most critical conflicts and. South asia is a realm of one of the oldest civilizations in the world where people from all races and religions have coexisted over a long period of time. On the nuclear front, no other region of the world has been experiencing developments quite like the south asia region has. Nuclear strategy and regional stability in southern asia. South asia under the shadow of nuclear weapons mit. Thus, this book provides both new insights into the domestic politics behind specific nuclear policy choices in south asia, a critique of narrow realist views of nuclear proliferation, and the. Benoit pelopidas may 3, 2016 project on a stable transition. Associate professor, kamala nehru college, university of delhi.
In 2015, stimson will launch a groundbreaking, open online course on nuclear issues in south asia that will give thousands of. The politics of south asias nuclear crisis princeton science. Subhas rais adaptation of liberty leading the people, painted by eugene delacroix in 1830. Asia has the worlds highest concentration of nuclear weapons and the most significant recent developments related to nuclear proliferation, as well as the worlds most critical conflicts and considerable political instability. An arms control association and fissile materials working.
In south asia, nuclear arsenal is seen as a great equaliser and the ultimate tool to counter adversarys present or future conventional strength. Environmental and radiation safety issues have come into sharp focus since fukushima nuclear accident in japan in 2011 and some new plants in south asia have drawn sustained public protests. Kapur thus believes nuclear weapons have been a destabilizing force in south asia. Nuclear politics and strategy in south asia south asia. They argued that nuclear deterrence had kept the peace between the united states and the soviet union during the cold war and that it could do the same in south asia. In covering everything from infrastructure building in central asia to nuclear weapon modernization in north east asia, the report provides a baseline for further research into specific topics and trends.
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