Nuclear Risk Reduction in South Asia (Henry L. Stimson Center Books)

This book provides a road map for reducing nuclear dangers on the Subcontinent. The Henry L. Stimson Center has been promoting confidence building and nuclear risk reduction in South Asia since 1991. The timely essays presented here by Indian, Pakistani and US authors are infused by the Stimson Center's motto, "Pragmatic Steps Toward Ideal Objectives." This book is essential reading for government officials, military officers, teachers, researchers, and all those who seek a safer future for the Subcontinent. No Countries Need Nuclear Risk Reduction Measures More Than India And Pakistan. Since Acquiring Nuclear Weapons, South Asia Has Experienced A Succession Of Hair-raising Crises, One Limited Border War That Was Defused By The Intervention Of President Bill Clinton, And A Ten Month-long Standoff During 2002 In Which Nearly One Million Soldiers Were At Battle Stations, Poised To Fight. This Collection Of Essays By Leading Indian, Pakistani, And Western Analysts Suggests Pragmatic Steps To Reduce Nuclear Dangers On The Subcontinent. This Unusual Collaboration Was Facilitated By The Henry L. Stimson Center, Which Has Pioneered The Collaborative Adaptation Of Measures Developed In The West To The Complexities Of South Asia.--book Jacket. Is Cold War Experience Applicable To Southern Asia? / Michael Krepon -- Nuclear Restraint, Risk Reduction, And The Security-insecurity Paradox In South Asia / P.r. Chari -- Nuclear Risk Reduction In South Asia: Building On Common Ground / Chris Gagné -- Missiles And Nuclear Risk-reduction Measures / W.p.s. Sidhu -- Missile Threat Reduction And Montioring / Kent L. Biringer -- Nuclear Risk Reduction And Cooperative Aerial Observation / John H. Hawes And Teresita C. Schaffer -- Risk-reduction Measures In Kashmir / Brian Cloughley -- Nuclear Risk-reduction Centers / Rafi Uz Zaman Khan -- Missile Defense: An Indian Perspective / Rajesh M. Basrur -- Missile Defense: A Pakistani Perspective / Mutahir Ahmed -- Missile Defense And Strategic Modernization In Southern Asia / Arvind Kumar -- The Challenges Of Nuclear Minimalism / W. Lawrence Prabhakar -- Missile Defense And The Asian Cascade / Michael Krepon. Edited By Michael Krepon. A Henry L. Stimson Center Book. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The essys in this collection explore and analyze how to reduce the risk of nuclear war in South Asia. Contributors work to introduce the theory and methodology of nuclear risk reduction, to provide specific measures that might work best in the region, and to consider the consequences of missile defense options for stability in Asia. Much work is needed to recduce nuclear dangers between India and Pakistan. While the fact that both countries possess nuclear weapons may prevent a full-blown conventional or nuclear war, the presence of these weapons in the region may also encourage the use of violence at lower levels expecting escalation to be contained by a mutual desire to avoid the nuclear threshold. One only needs to look at the Kashmir conflict for confirmation of this paradox, with serious crises coming more frequently with more severity since the nuclear tests of 1998. Sustained efforts along the line suggested by the contributors of this volume are a crucial step toward reducing nuclear risk on the Subcontinent.