INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SOUTH ASIA AND BEYOND
Keywords:
INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL, SOUTH ASIAAbstract
The Indo-US strategic convergence in a changed geopolitical context resulted in a nuclear deal
meant for peaceful cooperation on nuclear energy. Though the agreement seriously dents the nonproliferation
regime, it makes sense from a US perspective as it serves US strategic interest in the
region by helping India to hedge against China and thereby maintains US supremacy. India, on
the other hand, aspiring to become a regional power and desperately hungry for energy, needs US
assistance. More to the point is the possible spill over effect of this civilian nuclear deal into power
politics and military strategy. This paper contends that the deal will enhance India’s existing nuclear
capabilities manifold and may offset the balance of power in the region which may in turn trigger
an arms race. Such possibilities when viewed against the socio-economic background of the South Asian region appear as a perfect recipe for disaster. Thus, to offset the negative implications of the
deal, the paper suggests a continuous dialogue between the parties for creating an environment of
restraint and peace in the region. Concurrently, efforts should be on to improve confidence building
measures and institutionalize those by setting up Nuclear Risk Reduction Centres (NRRCs). A
multilateral approach by creating and tapping the potentials of the regional forum to discuss the
nuclear issue and agreeing to ideas like Nuclear Free Zones, pre-disaster standing procedures, etc.
are areas where smaller nations need to focus to restrain or minimize the effect of a nuclear war.
Downloads
References
Books/Papers
Hans J. Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations, The Struggle for Power and
Peace, Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi, India, 2001.
Kenneth N. Waltz, Theory of International Politics, McGraw Hill, USA,
Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Grand Chessboard, American Primacy and its
Geostrategic Imperatives, Perseus Books Group, USA, 1997.
Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, Harper Collins Publishers
Limited, Glasgow, Great Britain, 1996.
Michael Hogan, (ed.) The End of Cold War, Its Meaning and Implications,
Cambridge University Press, USA, 1995.
Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man, The Free Press,
USA, 1998.
Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye, Power and Interdependence, Longman,
USA, 2001.
General K Sundarji, The World Power Structure in Transition from A Quasi
Unipolar to Quasi Multipolar State and the Options of A Middle Power in
this Milieu, United Services Institute, India, 1993.
Agha Shahi, “The Emerging World Order,” in Strategic Studies, Islamabad,
Pakistan, Vol. XXIII, No. 2, Summer 2003.
Graham P. Chapman, The Geo-politics of South Asia, Ashgate Publishing
House, Great Britain, 2003.
Vernon Hewitt, The New International Politics of South Asia, Manchester
University Press, Great Britain, 2001.
Katherine Jacques, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan: International Relations
and regional tensions in South Asia, Macmillan Press Limited, Great Britain,
Sarbjit Sharma, US-Bangladesh Relations: A Critique, UBS Publishers, India,
Muhammad Humayun Kabir, edited et al, Security in the Twenty First
Century, BIISS, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003.
+88 02 8031111 Ext. 3299
