Inside Nuclear South Asia

Contents: Acknowledgments. Introduction: Inside Nuclear South Asia. THE CAUSES OF NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION IN SOUTH ASIA:1. The BIP and the Bomb. 2. Testing Theories of Proliferation in South Asia. 3. Contra-Proliferation: Interpreting the Meanings of India\'s Nuclear Tests in 1947 and 1998. THE CONSEQUENCES OF NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION IN SOUTH ASIA: 4. Pride and Prejudice and Prithvis: Strategic Weapons Behavior in South Asia. 5. Revisionist Ambitions, Conventional Capabilities, and Nuclear Instability: Why Nuclear South Asia Is Not Like Cold War Europe. 6. The Evolution of Pakistani and Indian Nuclear Doctrine. Contributors. Index.

The relentlessness of the confrontations between India and Pakistan, and the fact that they have more than once escalated into armed conflict, makes Inside Nuclear South Asia a must read for anyone legislator, policy-maker, analyst, intelligence or military professional, student, or researcher who wishes to gain a thorough understanding of the spread of nuclear weapons in South Asia and the potential consequences of nuclear proliferation on the subcontinent. Beginning with an examination of the origins of the nuclear weapons programs in India and Pakistan, it goes on to analyze the consequences of nuclear proliferation on the subcontinent and provides clear evidence that the presence of nuclear weapons in South Asia has increased the frequency and propensity of low-level violence, further destabilizing the region. Specifically, it demonstrates that nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan have led to serious political changes that challenge the ability of the two states to produce stable and lasting nuclear peace. Thus, this book provides new insights into the domestic politics and organizational interests behind specific nuclear policy choices in South Asia, a critique of narrow realist views of nuclear proliferation, and clear signposting of the dangers of nuclear proliferation in South Asia.