Nuclear Deterrence in Southern Asia: China, India and Pakistan
By Arpit Rajain
Sage Publishers Worldwide

This important and topical book examines the triangular relationship of China, India and Pakistan through the prism of nuclear deterrence.

The author highlights the interplay and role of strategic culture, nuclear weaponisation and deployment, command and control, arms control, non-state actors and foreign policy issues which affect relations between the three countries.

With two main purposes-a conceptual investigation into the notion of deterrence, and a study of the theory and practice of limited war-this book:

-addresses the strategic, political and military dimensions of the role of nuclear weapons through examples of the only cases of nuclear weapon states having gone into armed conflict-the Cuban missile crisis, the Ussuri river clashes, and the Kargil conflict.

-discusses the various pressures exerted on decision makers in the context of the notions of deterrence, the rational deterrence model, and a limited war under a nuclear umbrella.

- evaluates all three countries with regard to their strategic culture, the role of nuclear weapons in their military strategy, the nature of public opinion and political rhetoric, responses to the various arms control treaties, and foreign policy choices.

Based on a variety of sources, including interviews with key individuals in various sector, this is the first book-length study of the triangular relationship between China, India and Pakistan.

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About the Author

Arpit Rajain is a Senior Policy Analyst at the New Delhi office of the Center for Global Studies, Mumbai. Prior to joining the center, he was a Research Fellow at the ORF Institute of Security Studies, New Delhi. He has also worked at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi, on WMD issues for six years and been part of projects with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Office of the Integrated Defence Staff, Government of India. The author is also regularly consulted for policy risk analysis and assessment by several multinational companies.

He has previously co-edited three books, including Nuclear Stability in Southern Asia (2003), Biological Weapons: Issues and Threats (2003) and Working Towards a Verification Protocol for Biological Weapons (2001).