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This book gives an analytic account of the dynamics of India`s nuclear build-up. In contrast to conventional studies on the issue, the author puts forward a new model, which goes beyond the classic strategic concept of accepting security related motives of arming behaviour. According to this, the structural conditions of India`s regional secutiry environment were permissive to India`s nuclear development but not sufficient to make India`s nuclearization imperative for maintaining its national security. At the core of teh argument lies the question about India`s security considerations and their impact on India`s nuclear policy development. The author explores this analytic model by including explanatory variables on the unit-level, where interests are generally related to symbolic, less strategic, values attributed to nuclear weapons. These play a significant role within India`s domestic political party competition and among certain pressure groups. They have also influenced India`s relationship with other countries on non-proliferation matters. This book identifies the role of the strategic elite in determining India`s nuclear course. Furthermore, it argues that one of the pivotal driving forces behind India`s quest for the nuclear bomb is India`s struggle for international recognition and the strong, often obsessive sensitivities of India`s elite regarding perceived `acts of discrimination` or ` ignorance` by the West towards India.
ISBN: 9780415401326
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Pages : 246
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