South asian politics are going through the profound changes since the announcement of new u. 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. Nuclear politics in south asia, by suresh dhanda, new delhi, regal publications, 2010, 356pp. 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. 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. The stimson centers krepon adds, pakistan is a disadvantaged state that. Escalation control and the nuclear option in south asia. So on the nuclear side, i would argue indias nuclear posture in the past years has been a search for an. International relations of south asia ir 372po 355. International relations of south asia ir 372po 355 spring. After 50 years of independence, yet impoverished by an unremitting arms race, the people of india.
Dec 27, 2014 a recent essay by robert kaplan offers fascinating insight into south asias. Pdf ebook files for this publication are available as detailed below. Associate professor, kamala nehru college, university of delhi. Action by india and pakistan in nuclear weapons arms race is the result of the development of modern weaponry in the international arena. 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. Each claims the status of a nuclear weapon state, yet the contours of that status are unclear.
Parties and their proxies working withand againstthe state 2 more than a nationalist ploy to divide south asias muslim community. Seminar on political development in south asia a preliminary report by rakbsh hooja, p. South asias first decade saw a limited war and various military and political crises. 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. Then, it was widely assumed that being nuclear weapons states, india and pakistan could no longer go to war.
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. India is targeting pakistans civilian population along the working boundary and the line of control. South asia s lessons, evolving dynamics, and trajectories. 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. South asias nuclear postures and south asian stability.
Most of the scholarship has been unable to probe the deep interconnections that inform the nuclear strategy of these three countries. Neil devotta has assembled a group of experts who each provide an excellent account of their case. However, the potential danger of a nuclear war is neither in the middle east nor in the korean peninsula. The crises of democracy in south asia south asian development is in a stage of crisis. The essay aims to explain interconnections between international security, domestic politics and nuclear strategy of china, india and pakistan. 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. Nuclear politics in asia 1st edition marzieh kouhi. We believe this book of essays by prominent american, pakistani. 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. However unlikely, deployment of tactical nuclear weapons can open the door to inadvertent. 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. Adding a twist to the existing fissile material buildup process, the indous strategic partnership supplemented it. Nuclearization of south asia and the future of non. South asia and the nuclear future rethinking the causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation conference report by todd s.
The politics of nuclear weapons in south asia taylor. A number of important strategic issues have been raised by these. The future of nuclear south asia is inextricably linked to power and politics in pakistan and india and to the global nuclear order. This is a region in which the united states, china, and japan relate directly to one another. Pakistan, bangladesh, sri lanka and nepal, 110th congress, 1st session, august 1, 2007, pp. This competition in turn creates a small but difficulttoclose window for nuclear catastrophe. Asia pacific in world politics 1 as a significant component of world politics, asia pacific confronts many major issues. Everybody agrees that it is a weak deal, but despite. Nuclearization of south asia has put forwarded three major challenges that are. Regionspecific activities and initiatives south asia n. The geopolitics of south asian political stability. What regional dynamics are likely to affect their ability to achieve policy priorities there. Nuclearization of south asia and the future of nonproliferation 4 the united state is the major culprit in the erosion of the npt. 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.
The first nuclear learning coursenuclear south asia. It will also explore empire and the political and military consequences of empire in south asia. The antecedent conditions that previously drove their positive engagement have already eroded. This recent spate of nuclear capable missile tests in south. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of nuclear arsenals, nuclear ambitions and nuclear threats across different parts of asia. Instead, they find that a crisis is ultimately a political choice shaped by certain.
South asia regional dynamics and strategic concerns. Potential consequences of nuclear politics in south asia. 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. Islamist politics in south asia after the arab spring. 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. 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.
The nuclear confrontation in south asia 199 failed to close down the offices of the lashkaretaiba and those of another militant group, the jaishemohammed. The course is designed to develop comprehension, provide basic information and offer conceptual frameworks on sociopolitical development and government in southeast asian. Nuclear relations in south asia unt digital library. While the united states and its coalition partners have focused primarily on afghanistan and pakistan over the past 12 years, the. Define and utilize concepts and terms that are central to the international politics of south asia. Nuclear politics in south asia by suresh dhanda, 2010 isbn. South asia who promoted nuclear weapons in the two countries with the promise of lasting. Electoral politics in south korea friedrich ebert foundation. South asia and the nuclear future university of virginia. 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.
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. Potential consequences of nuclear politics in south asia oped. Borders in south asia have been a source of war, conflict and suffering and it is important to understand the history behind them. Asia pacific in world politics lynne rienner publishers. Hashmi professor emeritus of political science georgia southern university us currently, the western leaders and media are greatly concerned about the. Nuclear strategy and regional stability in southern asia. Its main takeaways suggest that rather than forming an alliance, china and. The geopolitics of nuclear weapons geopolitical futures. Inthewakeofthe2019indiapakistan pulwama militarized crisis, each book focuses on a distinct element of the southern. Economically, most south asian countries are increasingly dependent on the global market.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
International politicoeconomic processes, corrupt political leadership, inefficient state institutions and growing. Pakistans political and military leaders that the operation might be feasible with a nuclear. 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. 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. The containment and prevention of nuclear proliferation, especially in asia, continues to be a grave concern for the international community. Fear in the subcontinent possibility of nuclear war. The geopolitics of energy in south asia whole publication. They also have the need to defend against regional threats. Democratization, elections, and the voters the restoration of direct presidential elections in 1987 provided momentum for democratization in south korea. South asia is bounded on the south by the indian ocean. 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 first nuclear learning course nuclear south asia. The geopolitics of south asian political stability the diplomat. As recently as 2002, there was a distinct possibility of a nuclear conflict between india and pakistan. The nuclear optimists, as believers in the deterrence capabilities of nuclear arsenal, do not credit the u. Southern asias nuclear powers council on foreign relations. 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. 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.
Political economy of regional integration in south asia. The strategic landscape of south asia changed dramatically in 1998. Indeed, popular election of the president had become a symbol of democratization since president park chungbee abolished it in 1972. Role of the south asia in the strategic calculations of u. For the first time in almost 50 years, elections led to a takeover of power by the opposition. Alliance formation or balance of power farhan hanif siddiqi abstract the article seeks to investigate how alliance formation and balance of power patterns will unfold in south asia in the wake of an intensifying geopolitical rivalry between the united states and china. Never since south asias nuclearization has global politics been so uncertain, great power relations so fraught, and competing global priorities so distracting.
Nuclear politics and strategy in south asia south asia. Mathur, and virendra narain nearly sixty people gathered in jaipur at the beginning of february 1973 for five days of deliberations on political development in the south asian region, comprising of pakistan, india, nepal, sri lanka and bangladesh. Nuclear politics in south asia, by suresh dhanda, new delhi. Courtesy of himal southasian, january 2007 the southasia. On the nuclear front, no other region of the world has been experiencing developments quite like the south asia region has.
The politics of nuclear weapons in south asia request pdf. South asia under the shadow of nuclear weapons mit. During the gestation period of covert development of their nuclear weapons, india and pakistan underwent a series of military. Strategic framework of south asia is comprised of the bipolar equation between indiapakistan, interconnected with regional security complex and other major powers. An important and critical reevaluation of south asias posttests nuclear politics, in contrast to other books, this volume emphasises the political dimension of. 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.
Nuclear weapons in south asia have both precipitated one limited war not gate datasheet pdf kargil. Chapter 2 water disputes in south asian subcontinent 34 riparian countries. Water resources of south asian subcontinent south asia is a region of both abundance and scarcity of water. Towards world war iii article pdf available in ssrn electronic journal 562. In south asia, nuclear arsenal is seen as a great equaliser and the ultimate tool to counter adversarys present or future conventional strength.
Congressman solarz quips pakistan has a saturday night special capability. The politics of south asias nuclear crisis princeton science. New delhis hostile posture towards islamabad is much reflective of its policy of offensive arreire pensee. South asias lessons, evolving dynamics, and trajectories. Nuclear war in south asia summary structural political and security factors generate persistent security competition on the south asian subcontinent. As a result, south asia is very influential with regard to international politics and economic activity. 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. 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. The united states was the dominant power in the region in the cold war roughly 19451989, but. Jun 15, 2015 kidwais remarks have reopened the debate over south asias nuclear stability.
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. Subhas rais adaptation of liberty leading the people, painted by eugene delacroix in 1830. Jun 05, 2018 the next crisis may demand the samebut the global powers may be found wanting. 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. Suddenly india was relegated to a backbench in south asia. South korea and taiwan have advanced civilian nuclear programs and technical knowledge that could be redirected into a weapons program. The future of nuclear south asia is inextricably linked to power and politics in pakistan and india and to the global nuclear. 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. 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.
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. It is fed by the hindu kush and himalayan mountain system which is one of the largest storehouses of fresh water in the world. In fact this problem is one of the major causes of strained relationship among the users. The nuclearization of south asia had been anticipated for decades, yet when it came, it was a surprise.
Nuclear politics and strategy in south asia south asia journal. Chapter 2 water disputes in south asian subcontinent 32 2. 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. Zia claims pakistan has capability to make a bomb 1988. 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. Action by india and pakistan in nuclear weapons crisis due to power balance theory in the south asian region. 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. Water disputes between various countries of south asian subcontinent south asia subcontinent is such region where geo political entity provides a base for conflicts. 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. Us convinced pakistan is nuclearcapable but perhaps not nuclearweapons state two screwdriver turns away march 1987. South asia is about the same size as europe but has a population that is twice as large. 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. Understanding the arms race in south asia carnegie.