The politics of nuclear weapons in south asia request pdf. There has been an avalanche of publications on southeast asia in recent years, but no one volume provides an accurate and uptodate account of political institutions and practices in the region. They also have the need to defend against regional threats. South asia s lessons, evolving dynamics, and trajectories.
Adding a twist to the existing fissile material buildup process, the indous strategic partnership supplemented it. The nuclear optimists, as believers in the deterrence capabilities of nuclear arsenal, do not credit the u. It is fed by the hindu kush and himalayan mountain system which is one of the largest storehouses of fresh water in the world. However, the potential danger of a nuclear war is neither in the middle east nor in the korean peninsula. Nuclear strategy and regional stability in southern asia.
South asia is about the same size as europe but has a population that is twice as large. Most of the scholarship has been unable to probe the deep interconnections that inform the nuclear strategy of these three countries. South korea and taiwan have advanced civilian nuclear programs and technical knowledge that could be redirected into a weapons program. South asias first decade saw a limited war and various military and political crises. Fear in the subcontinent possibility of nuclear war.
Political economy of regional integration in south asia. Once the united states withdraws most or all of its forces from afghanistan, what issues are likely to continue to be of concern to u. The main centre of united nations activity in asia and the pacific is bangkok, thailand, home to the economic and social commission for asia and the pacific. Nuclearization of south asia and the future of nonproliferation 4 the united state is the major culprit in the erosion of the npt. 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. Sharma, professor in the department of politics, university of san francisco, usa an introduction to south asian politics provides a timely assessment of democratic development in the region. Potential consequences of nuclear politics in south asia oped. Nuclear politics in south asia, by suresh dhanda, new delhi. 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.
The first nuclear learning course nuclear south asia. Dec 27, 2014 a recent essay by robert kaplan offers fascinating insight into south asias. Electoral politics in south korea friedrich ebert foundation. This is a revised and expanded version of a note originally prepared for the department of energy, august 1998, as part of a project on the future of us south asian relations. Chapter 2 water disputes in south asian subcontinent 32 2. The nuclear confrontation in south asia 199 failed to close down the offices of the lashkaretaiba and those of another militant group, the jaishemohammed. 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.
In south asia, nuclear arsenal is seen as a great equaliser and the ultimate tool to counter adversarys present or future conventional strength. Nuclear relations in south asia unt digital library. The politics of nuclear weapons in south asia taylor. Sechser on june 4 and 5, 2004, the center for international security and cooperation cisac at stanford university hosted a workshop on the question of nuclear weapons and stability in south asia. After 50 years of independence, yet impoverished by an unremitting arms race, the people of india. Nuclear politics and strategy in south asia south asia. East asia, south east asia, south asia, central asia and europe. Aurel croissant electoral politics in south korea aurel croissant introduction in december 1997, south korean democracy faced the fifteenth presidential elections since the republic of korea became independent in august 1948. Action by india and pakistan in nuclear weapons arms race is the result of the development of modern weaponry in the international arena. In south asia, it is believed that peace and stability can only come about with nuclear weapons. Escalation control and the nuclear option in south asia. The geopolitics of south asian political stability. Nuclear politics in south asia, by suresh dhanda, new delhi, regal publications, 2010, 356pp.
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 politicostrategic purposes in an extremely. Nuclearization of south asia and the future of non. 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. Explain the complexity of international politics and foreign policy concerns among south asian states on the one hand, and relations between south asian states and world powers on the other hand. This recent spate of nuclear capable missile tests in south. Towards world war iii article pdf available in ssrn electronic journal 562. Action by india and pakistan in nuclear weapons crisis due to power balance theory in the south asian region.
New delhis hostile posture towards islamabad is much reflective of its policy of offensive arreire pensee. The future of nuclear south asia is inextricably linked to power and politics in pakistan and india and to the global nuclear order. Parties and their proxies working withand againstthe state 2 more than a nationalist ploy to divide south asias muslim community. Extraregional linkages and consequences 6 the china factor in south asian nuclear politics 93 binoda kumar mishra 7 south asia s nuclear deterrence and the usa 1 bhumitra chakma.
Economically, most south asian countries are increasingly dependent on the global market. Associate professor, kamala nehru college, university of delhi. The first nuclear learning coursenuclear south asia. Then, it was widely assumed that being nuclear weapons states, india and pakistan could no longer go to war. While the united states and its coalition partners have focused primarily on afghanistan and pakistan over the past 12 years, the. Nuclear weapons in south asia have both precipitated one limited war not gate datasheet pdf kargil. As north korea appears to move closer to possessing a deliverable nuclear warhead, the south korean government has debated acquiring a nuclear weapon. Political 70e 10n 20 n 30 n 40 n 60n 80e 90e 60e 70e 80e 90e 100e 40n 3 0n 2 0n 10 n indian ocean arabian sea bay of bengal kabul dhaka new delhi thimphu kathmandu islamabad colombo india sri lanka pakistan afghanistan bhutan nepal bangladesh w e n s national boundary national capital legend 250 500. This is a region in which the united states, china, and japan relate directly to one another.
Nuclear doctrine s 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 antecedent conditions that previously drove their positive engagement have already eroded. 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. Nuclearization of south asia has put forwarded three major challenges that are. Courtesy of himal southasian, january 2007 the southasia. Understanding the arms race in south asia carnegie. The historical formation of modern south asia this set of lectures will trac e the historical events that re sulted in the borders of modern south asia that we see in maps today. Borders in south asia have been a source of war, conflict and suffering and it is important to understand the history behind them. 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.
From a position of supreme dominance in 1971, india had fallen to the position of a strategic and nuclear alsoran in 1981, delhi saw its relative position vis a vis pakistan or china rapidly deteriorate. If the already backward balochistan is hit, as it is on its way, by the pandemic, it would not be able to recollect its socioeconomic fragments for long which will halt the cpec levying shocks on chinas post pandemic global politics in south asia. South asian politics are going through the profound changes since the announcement of new u. The containment and prevention of nuclear proliferation, especially in asia, continues to be a grave concern for the international community. In fact this problem is one of the major causes of strained relationship among the users. What regional dynamics are likely to affect their ability to achieve policy priorities there.
South asias lessons, evolving dynamics, and trajectories. Indeed, popular election of the president had become a symbol of democratization since president park chungbee abolished it in 1972. Asia pacific in world politics lynne rienner publishers. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of nuclear arsenals, nuclear ambitions and nuclear threats across different parts of asia. International relations of south asia ir 372po 355. The united states was the dominant power in the region in the cold war roughly 19451989, but. Us convinced pakistan is nuclearcapable but perhaps not nuclearweapons state two screwdriver turns away march 1987. As recently as 2002, there was a distinct possibility of a nuclear conflict between india and pakistan. Role of the south asia in the strategic calculations of u. The geopolitics of south asian political stability the diplomat.
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 politicostrategic purposes in an extremely complex and. Jun 15, 2015 kidwais remarks have reopened the debate over south asias nuclear stability. South asia regional dynamics and strategic concerns. Define and utilize concepts and terms that are central to the international politics of south asia. A guide to india, pakistan, and the bomb course lecturers rizwana abbasi is an assistant professor in the department of strategic and nuclear studies at the national defense university, islamabad. In the given atmosphere of hostility,mistrust and belligerence between the two nuclear south asian states,an alarming and scowling situation for regional peace and security,the. Under this dangerous bargain, it would continue to not only allow india to increase its fissile material but also the capacity to increase the buildup of nuclear weapon material hence, the strategic stability in south asia has been negatively impacted since the initial stages. During the gestation period of covert development of their nuclear weapons, india and pakistan underwent a series of military. The region is in a geopolitically key position because of its many land and sea links with the middle east, central asia and east asia. Pakistans political and military leaders that the operation might be feasible with a nuclear.
While claiming to be protecting the world from proliferation threats in iraq, libya, iran and north korea they also have abandoned past pledges and now threaten first use of nuclear weapons against non. We believe this book of essays by prominent american, pakistani. Islamist politics in south asia after the arab spring. Inthewakeofthe2019indiapakistan pulwama militarized crisis, each book focuses on a distinct element of the southern. The essay aims to explain interconnections between international security, domestic politics and nuclear strategy of china, india and pakistan. Suddenly india was relegated to a backbench in south asia. South asia or southern asia, is the southern region of the asian continent, which comprises the subhimalayan countries and, for some authorities, adjoining countries to the west and east. So on the nuclear side, i would argue indias nuclear posture in the past years has been a search for an. South asias nuclear postures and south asian stability. The course is designed to develop comprehension, provide basic information and offer conceptual frameworks on sociopolitical development and government in southeast asian. Its main takeaways suggest that rather than forming an alliance, china and. Since the early 1990s, south asia, especially india, has witnessed important shifts in economic policy, making it important to assess the regions linkages to the global economy, along with an examination of its persistent problems of poverty and inequality. Everybody agrees that it is a weak deal, but despite.
Zia claims pakistan has capability to make a bomb 1988. The geopolitics of nuclear weapons geopolitical futures. The crises of democracy in south asia south asian development is in a stage of crisis. Southern asias nuclear powers council on foreign relations. South asia and the nuclear future university of virginia. 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. South asia and the nuclear future rethinking the causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation conference report by todd s. Water resources of south asian subcontinent south asia is a region of both abundance and scarcity of water. Pakistan, bangladesh, sri lanka and nepal, 110th congress, 1st session, august 1, 2007, pp. A number of important strategic issues have been raised by these. South asia who promoted nuclear weapons in the two countries with the promise of lasting.
Water disputes between various countries of south asian subcontinent south asia subcontinent is such region where geo political entity provides a base for conflicts. The stimson centers krepon adds, pakistan is a disadvantaged state that. 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. An important and critical reevaluation of south asias posttests nuclear politics, in contrast to other books, this volume emphasises the political dimension of.
Government and politics in southeast asia edited by john. Each claims the status of a nuclear weapon state, yet the contours of that status are unclear. Strategic framework of south asia is comprised of the bipolar equation between indiapakistan, interconnected with regional security complex and other major powers. However unlikely, deployment of tactical nuclear weapons can open the door to inadvertent. 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. Nuclear war in south asia summary structural political and security factors generate persistent security competition on the south asian subcontinent. The geopolitics of energy in south asia whole publication. Ideally, the best measure of whether the two are in fact in a classic, reciprocal nuclear arms competition would be the rate at which both sides are. Democratization, elections, and the voters the restoration of direct presidential elections in 1987 provided momentum for democratization in south korea. India is targeting pakistans civilian population along the working boundary and the line of control. Never since south asias nuclearization has global politics been so uncertain, great power relations so fraught, and competing global priorities so distracting. International relations of south asia ir 372po 355 spring. This competition in turn creates a small but difficulttoclose window for nuclear catastrophe.
South asia under the shadow of nuclear weapons mit. Nuclear politics in south asia by suresh dhanda, 2010 isbn. 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. Jun 05, 2018 the next crisis may demand the samebut the global powers may be found wanting. For the first time in almost 50 years, elections led to a takeover of power by the opposition. The politics of south asias nuclear crisis princeton science. 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. Topographically, it is dominated by the indian plate, which rises above sea level as northern parts of india south of the himalayas and the hindu kush. On the nuclear front, no other region of the world has been experiencing developments quite like the south asia region has. Seminar on political development in south asia a preliminary report by rakbsh hooja, p.
The strategic landscape of south asia changed dramatically in 1998. Instead, they find that a crisis is ultimately a political choice shaped by certain. Political economy of regional integration in south asia priyanka kher abstract although it has been decades since the creation of the south asia association for regional cooperation saarc, regional integration in south asia is still a long distance from priority for south asian countries. This book argues that southeast asian political studies have made important contributions to theory building in comparative politics through a dialogue involving theory, area studies, and. Regionspecific activities and initiatives south asia n. Congressman solarz quips pakistan has a saturday night special capability. Asia pacific in world politics 1 as a significant component of world politics, asia pacific confronts many major issues. Nuclear politics and strategy in south asia south asia journal. South asia is bounded on the south by the indian ocean. Pdf ebook files for this publication are available as detailed below. A stimson center essay by jeffrey mccausland has expanded on the dangers of pakistan incorporating tactical. The nuclearization of south asia had been anticipated for decades, yet when it came, it was a surprise.
Potential consequences of nuclear politics in south asia. South asia remains one of the most crisisprone regions in the world with some of the highest levels of contested borders, militarized interstate disputes, and terrorist attacks. Hashmi professor emeritus of political science georgia southern university us currently, the western leaders and media are greatly concerned about the. Chapter 2 water disputes in south asian subcontinent 34 riparian countries.
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