New Delhi's nuclear bomb: A systemic analysis

Abstract

The Indian nuclear tests were prompted by domestic political changes. But the sentiment and motivation behind the nuclear decision are deeply rooted in the international system. Rising Hindu nationalism, as signified by the BJP coalition government, is redefining India's foreign policy and attitude toward nuclear weapons. The nuclear tests showed that New Delhi feels increasingly uncomfortable with changes in the post-cold war international system and with its place in the international pecking order. The nuclear bomb, for the BJP and the majority of Indian elites, is a forceful statement of India's frustration with the existing international system. By blasting its way into the nuclear club, New Delhi is making a bid for great-power status in world politics. For a long time, the Indian nuclear issue has been treated as an extension of the Indo-Pakistani conflict. The explosion of the Indian bomb reminded us that the South Asian proliferation should be viewed in a broader context, since the South Asian security environment is affected by extraregional factors and players. New Delhi's security strategy, not limited to the subcontinent, broadly focuses on China, Pakistan, Central Asia, and the Indian Ocean, though China always occupies the central place among its security concerns. Suspicion of China has been deeply rooted in the Indian psyche after their defeat in the 1962 war. Although China's conventional and nuclear forces do not pose any prominent threat to India, the growing power asymmetry between China and India makes New Delhi feel vulnerable in a longterm capability race between the two countries. Given their potential for contending for great-power status in international affairs, the strategic rivalry between China and India will have a significant systemic impact on world politics in the twenty-first century.