India's Nuclear Policy
India’s Nuclear Policy
The relationship between International Nuclear Regimes and developing nations is a matter of passionate debate. Debate is in process on certain issues like nuclear policy, on grand strategies, on basic political values etc. It is a debate with implications for our individual and collective existence and raises fundamental question about political preferences, approaches and pathways ahead. The end of World War II and use of nuclear bomb presented US with new kind of strategic dilemma. How could a potentially apocalyptic technology once discovered, permanently be kept out of the hands of competitors and in March 1963, President J.F.Kennedy warned the Americans public that 15-25 states would come to posses nuclear weapons by 1970.(Spector,Sanfrancisco,1990) Currently 09 states have successfully detonated nuclear weapons of which 05 are called Nuclear Weapon States- US, Russia, U.K, France, China and rest are India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. The prediction of President Kennedy did not come to pass is not because of lack of technological know how but rather several states that could have developed nuclear weapon program chose not to do so and signed NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) as non- nuclear weapon states.It is the most questionable treaty by International Nuclear Regime and posses direct criticism from developing nations. The discrimination is inherent in NPT as it allows some state to have nuclear weapons while others not and it is sidestepped by the inclusion of Article VI. It represents a diplomatic victory in the cold war era; success was almost destined from the outset due to simple strategic dynamic: nuclear armed states, as they didn’t want to nullify their strategic advantage by allowing competitors to acquire nuclear weapons. (http://www.ippnw.org/Resourcelibrary/Treaties Brief. Pdf) CTBT banns all nuclear explosions, whether they take place in atmosphere or underground the earth. It was
The relationship between International Nuclear Regimes and developing nations is a matter of passionate debate. Debate is in process on certain issues like nuclear policy, on grand strategies, on basic political values etc. It is a debate with implications for our individual and collective existence and raises fundamental question about political preferences, approaches and pathways ahead. The end of World War II and use of nuclear bomb presented US with new kind of strategic dilemma. How could a potentially apocalyptic technology once discovered, permanently be kept out of the hands of competitors and in March 1963, President J.F.Kennedy warned the Americans public that 15-25 states would come to posses nuclear weapons by 1970.(Spector,Sanfrancisco,1990) Currently 09 states have successfully detonated nuclear weapons of which 05 are called Nuclear Weapon States- US, Russia, U.K, France, China and rest are India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. The prediction of President Kennedy did not come to pass is not because of lack of technological know how but rather several states that could have developed nuclear weapon program chose not to do so and signed NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) as non- nuclear weapon states.It is the most questionable treaty by International Nuclear Regime and posses direct criticism from developing nations. The discrimination is inherent in NPT as it allows some state to have nuclear weapons while others not and it is sidestepped by the inclusion of Article VI. It represents a diplomatic victory in the cold war era; success was almost destined from the outset due to simple strategic dynamic: nuclear armed states, as they didn’t want to nullify their strategic advantage by allowing competitors to acquire nuclear weapons. (http://www.ippnw.org/Resourcelibrary/Treaties Brief. Pdf) CTBT banns all nuclear explosions, whether they take place in atmosphere or underground the earth. It was
Bibliography: Books Basrur Rajesh M., Minimum Deterrence and India’s Nuclear Security, Stanford University Press, New York, 2006. Hass Richard, After the Test: US Policy Towards India and Pakistan- Report of an Independent Task Force, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, 1998. Kapur Ashok, India: From Regional to World Power, Routledge Press, New Delhi, 2006. Karnad Bharat, India’s Nuclear Policy, Greenwood Publishing Group, New Delhi, 2008. Pathak Kanawal Kishore, Nuclear Policy of India: A Third World Perspective, Geetanjali Parkashan, New Delhi, 1980. Peimani Hooman, Nuclear Proliferation in the Indian Subcontinent : The Self Exhausting Superpower and Emerging Alliances, Geetanjali Parkashan, New Delhi, 2000. Perkovich George, India’s Nuclear Bomb: The Impact on Global Proliferation, Oxford University Press, London, 1999. Rajain Arpit, Nuclear Deterrence in Southern Asia: China, India and Pakistan, Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2005. Schiff Benjamin N., International Nuclear Technology Transfer: Dilemmas of Dissemination and Control, Rowman and Allanheld, New Jersy, 1984. Sidhu Waheguru Pal Singh, Evolution of India’s Nuclear Doctrine, Occasional Paper No. 09, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, 2004. Spector Leonard S., The New Nuclear Nations, Vintage Books, London, 1985 Spector Leonard S., Nuclear Ambition: The Spread of Nuclear Weapon, 1989-1990, Westview Press, Sanfransico, 1990. Talbott Strode, Engaging India: Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb, The Brookings Institution, New York, 2006.