Abstract
Nuclear relations in South Asia cannot be fully analyzed without taking into
account the China factor. After the May 1998 nuclear tests, a substantive amount
of strategic literature has been focused on Indian and Pakistani nuclear postures
and policies, respectively. However, their integral links with China in transforming
South Asia’s nuclear environment remains one critical component that has not
been adequately examined. Multifaceted cooperation, competition and conflict have
engulfed this triangle since the India-U.S. nuclear deal. This deal has significantly
increased India’s nuclear weapons capability, and hence exacerbated the security
dilemma of Pakistan and China, which has important implications for the strategic
stability in the region. This paper analyses the strategic implications of this deal
for the nuclear triangle and argues that the nuclear triangle will remain complex
with inherent risks as well as pose challenges to the region’s strategic stability.
China-India-Pakistan nuclear strategies will be determined by the larger triangle
of U.S.-China-India relations, which will define the politics of South Asia as well
as the larger Asian landscape.
Read the article online here (search “Saira Bano”).