India's Emerging Nuclear Posture

India's Emerging Nuclear Posture

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Author: Ashley J Tellis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 885
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0195659058

Description

This book brings together the many pieces of India's nuclear puzzle and the ramifications for South Asia. It examines the choices facing India in order to discern which future courses of action appear most appealing to Indian security managers. It details how such choices, if acted upon, would affect US strategic interests, India's neighbors, and the world at large.

After a hiatus of almost twenty-four years. India startled the international community by resuming nuclear testing in May 1998. Pakistan responded later the same month with five nuclear tests of its own. The belief that the nuclear tests in South Asia have not only altered the strategic environment in the region but also transformed New Delhi into a 'nuclear weapons power' recurs constantly in Indian strategic and political analyses.

In this comprehensive examination of India's nuclear strategy, the author address these issues in the context of a broader understanding of India's strategic interests, its institutional structures, and its security goals. He argues that the truth is much more complex than most analysts believe and that, despite demonstrating an ability to successfully undertake unclear explosions, India still has some way to go before it can acquire the capabilities that would make it a consequential nuclear power.

Dr Tellis, a long-time observer of India, draws on a great variety of resources, including Indian and Western literature on the subject, and interviews with important Indian political figures, to give arguably the most complete picture to date of India's nuclear strategy.

Contents

Preface
Figures
Maps
Tables
Acknowledgments
Acronyms

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2
STRATEGIC FACTORS AFFECTING INDIA'S NUCLEAR POSTURE
Explaining the Heritage of Nuclear Ambiguity
Understanding the Variables Affecting India's Nuclear Posture
The Global Nuclear Ragime
The Ragional Nuclear Threat Environment
Relations with Key Countries
Domestic Politics and National Economic Performance

CHAPTER 3
ASSESSING ALTERNATIVE INDIAN NUCLEAR POSTURES
Alternatives Involving Denuclearization
Alternative I : Renounce the Nuclear Option
Alternative II : A Regional "Nuclear-Free Zone"
Evaluating Denuclearization
Alternatives Involving Nuclearization
Alternative III : Maintaining the Nuclear Option
Alternative IV : A Recessed Deterrent
Alternative V : Developing a Ready Nuclear Arsenal
What Will India Choose?

CHAPTER 4
TOWARD A FORCE-IN-BEING (I) : UNDERSTANDING INDIA'S NUCLEAR DOCTRINE AND FUTURE FORCE POSTURE
India's Nuclear Doctrine : Concerns, Contexts, and Constraints
The Declaratory Level of Policy
The Operational Level of Policy
Fashioning a Deterrent : The Logic and Structure of the Evolving Force-in-Being
Limited in Size
Separated in Disposition
Centralized in Control
Taking Stock

CHAPTER 5
TOWARD A FORCE-IN-BEING (II) ASSESSING THE REQUIREMENTS AND ADEQUACY OF THE EVOLVING DETERRENT
Putting the Pieces Together : What India has, What India hasn't
Fissile Materials
Nuclear Weapons
Delivery Systems
Supporting Infrastructure
Procedural Systems
Meeting the Demands of Successful Deterrence

CHAPTER 6
THE STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS OF INDIA'S NUCLEAR POSTURE

Bibliography
Index